The inaugural running of the US$20 million Saudi Cup will be attended by five undercard races worth an aggregate $6.8 million, with three of those to be run on a new turf course, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Cup is scheduled for Feb. 29, 2020.
The newly unveiled undercard is topped by a 3,000 meter turf handicap with a purse of $2.5 million. A 2,100-meter turf race for older horses will offer $1 million, and a 1,350-meter (about 6.7-furlong) turf sprint for older horses has a purse of $1 million. The dirt races added to the featured Saudi Cup are an $800,000 mile race for 3yo and a $1.5 million, 1,200-meter (about six-furlong) sprint for 3-year-olds and up.
Luminaries attending the announcement at Fortnum & Mason in London included trainer John Gosden and jockey Frankie Dettori, by far the most successful team in this season's European racing.
The Jockey Club did not detail the new grass course but illustrations show it tucked inside the main dirt oval at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh.