Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Nov 20, 2025

A fierce competition awaits Saudi trainers in the most valuable horse racing cup

A fierce competition awaits Saudi trainers in the most valuable horse racing cup

Saudi trainers are expected to face tough competition in The Saudi Cup, the most valuable race in the world, with a total prize pool of $35 million. It will be hosted by the Saudi Jockey Club at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, on Feb. 24 and 25.
Over the course of two evenings, more than 30 Saudi trainers will participate in the races, including Abdullah Bin Mishriff, Bedan Alsubaie, Hussein Alshoieb, Naif Almandeel and Moutaib Almulawah.

Almulawah will compete in the $20 million race with horse Emblem Road, which won the 3rd renewal of The Saudi Cup last year, against veteran American Bob Baffert, coach of horse Country Grammer.

Horse Emblem Road is set to face stiff competition to retain its title against Country Grammer, its runner-up in the same race, who won the International Dubai Cup, just a month after losing the 3rd renewal of The Saudi Cup last year with American trainer Bob Baffert.

Saudi trainer Almulawah traveled to France racecourses to train in the Parisian atmosphere as part of the program to prepare for the defense of his title and after his return he let his horse rest to be ready for the most valuable race.

Almulawah also bolstered his hopes of securing a Saudi Cup victory by competing with the champion horse of the domestic racecourses, Scotland Yard — son of Quality Road

The 4-year-old, Scotland Yard carried the card to qualify for The Saudi Cup 2023 by winning The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup title last month.

Meanwhile, trainer Bob Baffert boosted his hopes in the race with his participation with horse Taiba, with whom he achieved promising results in the American fields before coming to Riyadh.

American trainer Baffert will compete with two horses Taiba and Country Grammer as he will race for rehabilitation against Saudi Almulawah, who claimed the last renewal title.

Young Saudi trainer Naif Almandeel will participate in the main round of The Saudi Cup 2023 race with two mares Lagertha Rhyme and Sunset Flash.

Almandeel etched his name on the list of top trainers over the past three years with his achievements, winning the 1st Grade race of the King Faisal Cup, the 2nd Grade race of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Cup, twice, the cup of The final champion of the race Courses and the Gulf Cup, out of a total of 57 races.

Saudi trainer Almandeel will make his first international appearance in The Saudi Cup following his successes in domestic races.

Japanese horse trainers have set their sights on the $20 million prize, with six of the 20 horses that arrived in the Kingdom to participate in various races over the upcoming Friday and Saturday.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Ronaldo Joins Trump and Saudi Crown Prince’s Gala Amid U.S.–Gulf Tech and Investment Surge
U.S.–Saudi Investment Forum Sees U.S. Corporate Titans and Saudi Royalty Forge Billion-Dollar Ties
Elon Musk’s xAI to Deploy 500-Megawatt Saudi Data Centre with State-backed Partner HUMAIN
U.S. Clears Export of Advanced AI Chips to Saudi Arabia and UAE Amid Strategic Tech Partnership
xAI Selects Saudi Data-Centre as First Customer of Nvidia-Backed Humain Project
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
President Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington Amid Strategic Deal Talks
Saudi Crown Prince to Press Trump for Direct U.S. Role in Ending Sudan War
Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince: Five Key Takeaways from the White House Meeting
Trump Firmly Defends Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Murder Amid Washington Visit
Trump Backs Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Killing Amid White House Visit
Trump Publicly Defends Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Killing During Washington Visit
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
Saudi Arabia’s Solar Surge Signals Unlikely Shift in Global Oil Powerhouse
Saudi Crown Prince Receives Letter from Iranian President Ahead of U.S. Visit
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Begins Washington Visit to Cement Long-Term U.S. Alliance
Saudi Crown Prince Meets Trump in Washington to Deepen Defence, AI and Nuclear Ties
Saudi Arabia Accelerates Global Mining Strategy to Build a New Economic Pillar
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Arrives in Washington to Reset U.S.–Saudi Strategic Alliance
Saudi-Israeli Normalisation Deal Looms, But Riyadh Insists on Proceeding After Israeli Elections
Saudis Prioritise US Defence Pact and AI Deals, While Israel Normalisation Takes Back Seat
Saudi Crown Prince’s Washington Visit Aims to Advance Defence, AI and Nuclear Cooperation
Saudi Delegation Strengthens EU–MENA Security Cooperation in Lisbon
Saudi Arabia’s Fossil-Fuel Dominance Powers Global Climate Blockade
Trump Organization Engages Saudi Government-Owned Real-Estate Deal Amid White House Visit
Trump Organization Nears Billion-Dollar Saudi Real Estate Deal Amid White House Diplomacy
Israel Presses U.S. to Tie Saudi F-35 Sale to Formal Normalisation
What We Know Now: Donald Trump’s Financial Ties to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s Ambitious Defence Wish List for Washington: From AI Drones to Nuclear Umbrella
Analysis Shows China, Saudi Arabia and UAE among Major Recipients of Climate Finance Loans
Why a Full Saudi–Israel Normalisation Deal Eludes Trump’s Reach
Trump Presses Saudi Arabia to Normalise Ties with Israel as MBS Prepares for White House Visit
US-Saudi Summit Set for November 18 Seeks Defence Pact and Israel Normalisation Momentum
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts Visits Saudi Arabia Amid Potential Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
Cristiano Ronaldo Embraces Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup Vision with Key Role
Saudi Arabia’s Execution Campaign Escalates as Crown Prince Readies U.S. Visit
Trump Unveils Middle East Reset: Syria Re-engaged, Saudi Ties Amplified
Saudi Arabia to Build Future Cities Designed with Tourists in Mind, Says Tourism Minister
Saudi Arabia Advances Regulated Stablecoin Plans with Global Crypto Exchange Support
Saudi Arabia Maintains Palestinian State Condition Ahead of Possible Israel Ties
Chinese Steel Exports Surge 41% to Saudi Arabia as Mills Pivot Amid Global Trade Curbs
Saudi Arabia’s Biban Forum 2025 Secures Over US$10 Billion in Deals Amid Global SME Drive
Saudi Arabia Sets Pre-Conditions for Israel Normalisation Ahead of Trump Visit
MrBeast’s ‘Beast Land’ Arrives in Riyadh as Part of Riyadh Season 2025
Cristiano Ronaldo Asserts Saudi Pro League Outperforms Ligue 1 Amid Scoring Feats
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
Saudi Arabia Pauses Major Stretch of ‘The Line’ Megacity Amid Budget Re-Prioritisation
Saudi Arabia Launches Instant e-Visa Platform for Over 60 Countries
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Saudi Crown Prince to Visit Trump at White House on November Eighteenth
×