RIYADH: Taif’s King Khalid Racecourse is to stage a group race for the first time this season after it was announced that September’s King Faisal Cup has been upgraded to Group 3 level by the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities.
The $267,000 (SR1 million) contest, which was run as an international Listed race last season, will become the only Group 3 race on dirt for 3-year-old purebred Arabians in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region.
It is a landmark for Saudi Arabia’s summer racecourse and demonstrates the continued growth and improvement of the purebred Arabian program, underlining the importance of racing in Saudi Arabian culture.
The Group 3 King Faisal Cup will be run on Friday, Sept. 20, at the racecourse in Taif, where it will be supported on the card by the Listed Abdullah Al-Faisal Cup, also for purebred Arabians.
The King Faisal Cup was won last year by the Saad Mutlaq-trained Nadem Al-Molwk Al-Khalediah, who was ridden to success by leading local jockey Adel Al-Faridi.
The racing season at King Khalid Racecourse begins on Thursday, July 4, with the campaign featuring 39 fixtures and culminating on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Ziad Al-Mogren, the CEO of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, said: “The upgrading of the King Faisal Cup marks an important milestone for racing in Taif, with it being the first-ever group race that will be contested at King Khalid Racecourse.
“We are proud to be raising the level of racing, both purebred Arabian and thoroughbred, throughout our Taif and Riyadh seasons, and this remains a key part of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia’s strategy.
“With the King Faisal Cup becoming the only Group 3 contest on dirt for 3-year-old Arabians in the region, it displays our ongoing commitment to develop and showcase world-class purebred Arabian racing, a tradition that is of huge significance to local Saudi Arabian culture.”
