HRH Prince Bandar bin Khaled Al Faisal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Equestrian Authority and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Racing Club, said that the capital Riyadh will become the center of the horse world. races and worldwide attention on 24 and 25 February next year; This coincided with the launch of the fourth edition of the Saudi Arabian World Cup, the world’s most expensive horse race, held at King Abdulaziz Square in Janadhria with a total prize pool of over $35 million. the slogan “We are racing through the world.” It came during a press conference organized by the Horse Racing Club to announce the launch of the 2023 Saudi Cup on Tuesday night.
(January 17, 2023) as the current edition of the tournament received an unprecedented number of requests to participate, exceeding 1400 requests from 22 different countries, 57% of which were from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the highest local participation rate in the history of the “Saudi Cup”. Arabia”. Since its launch in 2020.
His Highness Prince Bandar added during the conference: “The slogan of the race in this version is nothing less than the embodiment of our ambitious vision, the Kingdom Vision 2030. We are racing the world through the efforts of the sons and daughters of this country, to achieve the goals of the vision, which will raise the status and the prestige of the Kingdom internationally, under the leadership of my lord, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and my lord, His Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Muhammad bin Salman, may God protect them.”
His Highness explained that the Racing Club and the Department of Horse Racing have been striving in recent years to develop the Saudi Cup and bring it to the highest level, as it is no longer just one major race, but rather a championship that takes place over two days of outstanding racing and strong competition among elite horses, riders, trainers and owners from all over the world.
And His Highness the Prince expressed his pride in what the horse racing that accompanied the championship had achieved as it became classified as the first and second category in the world, and not just the Saudi Arabian Cup, which was reflected in the classification of the Kingdom of horse racing. into the second category on a global scale, and this has had a very important impact, which can be measured on an increasing basis. Horse owners show a steady interest in the championship, as evidenced by the annual increase in the number of applicants for participation in the race.
His Highness Prince Bandar bin Khalid praised the club’s partnership with the Ministry of Culture. Through their efforts to promote Saudi culture and heritage, which carry a sense of goodness and beauty, and a special interest in spreading this rich heritage locally and globally.
The fourth round of the tournament opens with the (STC)-sponsored International Riders Challenge on Friday, February 24th, with a jousting competition featuring seven girls and seven boys from Australia, Europe, Japan and the United States of America. America, in addition to two local entrants, and riders compete individually in four rounds, with a prize of US$100,000, on local horses only, races are held on sand and grass areas, with various distances from (1200m) to (1800m ).
