Neom Turf Cup gains Group 1 status in 2026

RIYADH – Saudi Arabia has been granted a number of Riyadh season race upgrades, including the country’s first top-tier race on turf, the Saudi Cup day’s Howden Neom Turf Cup being granted Group 1 status ahead of its 2026 running.

Their newest Group 1 race also received a huge prize money boost, with the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) announcing that it will be staged for US$3 million (S$3.87 million) from the previous US$2 million.

At the same time, global insurance broker Howden has extended its partnership with the JCSA for three more years, taking the race sponsorship to 2028.

The addition of the Neom Turf Cup to the US$20 million Saudi Cup’s line-up of Group 1 races, now takes the tally of top-flight contests on the day to three, with the other Group 1 event being the Obaiya Arabian Classic (2,000m).

The glittering undercard on Saudi Cup day includes three Group 2 races, one Group 3 race and a newly minted Listed contest after an upgrade to the Tuwaiq Cup.

The Tuwaiq Cup (1,800m) also sees its prize money doubled from US$500,000 to US$1 million.

In addition, the King Saud Cup (2,000m) on Dec 27 has also been raised from domestic Group 1 status to an international Listed race.

The Neom Turf Cup has been quick to rise through the classifications, with the 2,100m race achieving Group 3 status ahead of its 2022 renewal, before being promoted to Group 2 ahead of the 2024 running.

It also has a rich roll of honour in just its six-year history.

It was a runaway seven-length success for Shadwell Racing’s subsequent Group 1 Royal Ascot Prince Of Wales’ Stakes (2,000m) and Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes (2,000m) winner, Mostahdaf, in 2023.

A strike for the Sir Alex Ferguson-owned Spirit Dancer in 2024 would have helped boost the race’s status.

On Feb 22, the dominant display from Japanese galloper Shin Emperor over Calif and Group 1 Irish St Leger (2,800m) winner Al Riffa in 2025 sealed the three-year average that the Asian Pattern Committee needed to provide Saudi Arabia with the upgrade.

The feature races will be run on the second day of the Saudi Cup weekend, on Feb 13 and 14, at King Abdulaziz racecourse as the nation hosts the 41st Asian Racing Conference.

Said His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal and chairman of the JCSA: “This is very good news for the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia as we prepare to host the seventh renewal of The Saudi Cup weekend in February.

“Turf racing did not exist in The Kingdom prior to 2020, so to have achieved a first Group 1 on the surface in this time frame is something we are justifiably proud of...

“(We) could not have achieved without the vision of our wise leadership, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the crown prince and prime minister.

“Our partnership with Howden has been an additional source of pride over the last two years and we welcome the extension of this arrangement for a further three years.

“We look forward to building on our relationship with Howden in the coming years.”

Howden founder and CEO David Howden was pleased with the new three-year extended sponsorship for the Neom Turf Cup.

“I love racing in Riyadh. It’s been incredible watching the transformation of the course in the last few years and seeing Prince Bandar realise his vision of turning horse racing in the Kingdom into such an incredible spectacle,” he said.

“What’s so special about Saudi is that it’s a truly global race meeting. The top trainers and jockeys, whether from the UK, Europe, America or, of course, Japan – who have dominated the Howden Neom Cup in recent years – are not just attracted by the fantastic prize money, but (also) by the incredible competition.

“And the upgrade of the Howden Neom Cup to a Group 1 race is a testament to the incredible success of the meeting.

“Yet, our relationship with JCSA is only just hitting its stride. So I couldn’t be prouder to extend our partnership for a further three years and see our name attached to such a prestigious race.

“More broadly, following on from our recent exciting partnership renewals at Ascot, Victoria Racing Club and Bahrain Turf Club, this sponsorship underlines our commitment to global racing itself.

“So there’s a huge amount to look forward to and I can’t wait to cheer home the first-ever Group 1 winner of the Howden Neom Turf Cup.” JOCKEY CLUB OF SAUDI ARABIA