Saudi Arabia will shatter the record for the richest horse race when it hosts the £16million Saudi Cup in Riyadh next year.
The event, set to be run at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in the Saudi capital, will take place on February 29.
The winner of the race - to be run on dirt over nine furlongs - will pocket £8m with the remaining purse being shared among the other horses in an anticipated 10-horse field.
That comfortably eclipses the £13m purse for the Pegasus World Cup or else the Dubai World Cup, at £10m, the previous richest races on the calendar.
The new-for-2020 event was unveiled last night in New York State by Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, in what is the country’s latest push into international sport as it tries to cement and clean up its reputation globally.
Al Faisal said: “The introduction of the Saudi Cup as an international race is without doubt the most significant event in the history of horse racing in Saudi Arabia, and demonstrates our resolve to develop this great sport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and also our ambition to become a leading player on horse racing’s world stage.”
Further races are planned on the undercard for the Saudi Cup with in-form jockey Frankie Dettori among those likely to line up in the field next February.
Dettori said: “I’ve been going to King Abdulaziz Racetrack ever since it opened. It’s based on Belmont, in that it’s a one turn mile and a quarter. Of all the dirt tracks I’ve ridden, it’s the one I like best as you can win from the front and you can win from behind. It’s a fair track.”
