Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Dec 13, 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
Alcohol Policies Vary Widely Across Muslim-Majority Countries, With Many Permitting Consumption Under Specific Rules
Saudi Arabia Clarifies No Formal Ban on Photography at Holy Mosques for Hajj 2026
Libya and Saudi Arabia Sign Strategic MoU to Boost Telecommunications Cooperation
Elon Musk’s xAI Announces Landmark 500-Megawatt AI Data Center in Saudi Arabia
Israel Moves to Safeguard Regional Stability as F-35 Sales Debate Intensifies
Cardi B to Make Historic Saudi Arabia Debut at Soundstorm 2025 Festival
U.S. Democratic Lawmakers Raise National Security and Influence Concerns Over Paramount’s Hostile Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
Hackers Are Hiding Malware in Open-Source Tools and IDE Extensions
Traveling to USA? Homeland Security moving toward requiring foreign travelers to share social media history
Wall Street Analysts Clash With Riyadh Over Saudi Arabia’s Deficit Outlook
Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Cement $1 Trillion-Plus Deals in High-Profile White House Summit
Saudi Arabia Opens Alcohol Sales to Wealthy Non-Muslim Residents Under New Access Rules
U.S.–Saudi Rethink Deepens — Washington Moves Ahead Without Linking Riyadh to Israel Normalisation
Saudi Arabia and Israel Deprioritise Diplomacy: Normalisation No Longer a Middle-East Priority
Saudi Arabia Positions Itself as the Backbone of the Global AI Era
As Trump Deepens Ties with Saudi Arabia, Push for Israel Normalization Takes a Back Seat
Thai Food Village Debuts at Saudi Feast Food Festival 2025 Under Thai Commerce Minister Suphajee’s Lead
Saudi Arabia Sharpens Its Strategic Vision as Economic Transformation Enters New Phase
Saudi Arabia Projects $44 Billion Budget Shortfall in 2026 as Economy Rebalances
OPEC+ Unveils New Capacity-Based System to Anchor Future Oil Output Levels
Will Saudi Arabia End Up Bankrolling Israel’s Post-Ceasefire Order in Lebanon?
Saudi Arabia’s SAMAI Initiative Surpasses One-Million-Citizen Milestone in National AI Upskilling Drive
Saudi Arabia’s Specialty Coffee Market Set to Surge as Demand Soars and New Exhibition Drops in December
Saudi Arabia Moves to Open Two New Alcohol Stores for Foreigners Under Vision 2030 Reform
Saudi Arabia’s AI Ambitions Gain Momentum — but Water, Talent and Infrastructure Pose Major Hurdles
Tensions Surface in Trump-MBS Talks as Saudi Pushes Back on Israel Normalisation
Saudi Arabia Signals Major Maritime Crack-Down on Houthi Routes in Red Sea
Italy and Saudi Arabia Seal Over 20 Strategic Deals at Business Forum in Riyadh
COP30 Ends Without Fossil Fuel Phase-Out as US, Saudi Arabia and Russia Align in Obstruction Role
Saudi-Portuguese Economic Horizons Expand Through Strategic Business Council
DHL Commits $150 Million for Landmark Logistics Hub in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Aramco Weighs Disposals Amid $10 Billion-Plus Asset Sales Discussion
Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince for Major Defence and Investment Agreements
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
Riyadh Metro Records Over One Hundred Million Journeys as Saudi Capital Accelerates Transit Era
Trump’s Grand Saudi Welcome Highlights U.S.–Riyadh Pivot as Israel Watches Warily
U.S. Set to Sell F-35 Jets to Saudi Arabia in Major Strategic Shift
Saudi Arabia Doubles Down on U.S. Partnership in Strategic Move
Saudi Arabia Charts Tech and Nuclear Leap Under Crown Prince’s U.S. Visit
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally Amid Defense Deal
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally as MBS Visit Yields Deepened Ties
Iran Appeals to Saudi Arabia to Mediate Restart of U.S. Nuclear Talks
Musk, Barra and Ford Join Trump in Lavish White House Dinner for Saudi Crown Prince
Lawmaker Seeks Declassification of ‘Shocking’ 2019 Call Between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince
US and Saudi Arabia Forge Strategic Defence Pact Featuring F-35 Sale and $1 Trillion Investment Pledge
Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Emerges as Key Contender in Warner Bros. Discovery Sale
Trump Secures Sweeping U.S.–Saudi Agreements on Jets, Technology and Massive Investment
Detroit CEOs Join White House Dinner as U.S.–Saudi Auto Deal Accelerates
Netanyahu Secures U.S. Assurance That Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge Will Remain Despite Saudi F-35 Deal
Ronaldo Joins Trump and Saudi Crown Prince’s Gala Amid U.S.–Gulf Tech and Investment Surge
×