- More
Strong international support as fields revealed for inaugural Saudi Cup meeting
The inaugural Saudi Cup fixture on February 29 has attracted vast international support with high-profile runners from eight different countries among the provisional fields revealed on Wednesday.
King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh will host a valuable eight-race card headlined by the Saudi Cup, which is run on the dirt and is the world's richest race, worth an unprecedented $20 million.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained globetrotter Magic Wand, second in the Pegasus World Cup Turf last month, is among 11 international runners in the 1m1f contest, which also includes Godolphin's Group 1 winner Benbatl, who runs at Meydan on Thursday.
There are three supporting races on the country's first turf track and the staying contest, the Longines Turf Handicap, is a European affair, with 11 runners from the continent set to line up.
Chief among them are Godolphin's 2018 Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter, Dee Ex Bee, now trained in Dubai, and Prince Of Arran.
Ireland's champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins is no stranger to having runners on the Flat but is set to break new ground with True Self, who is among a strong field for the Neom Turf Cup.
The race is run over 1m2½f and the line-up includes Japanese runner Deirdre, who pulled off a shock win in the Nassau Stakes last season.
The fields for each race will be completed with the addition of two local runners, which will be selected on February 8.
If you enjoyed this you may also be interested in:
New $20m Saudi Cup announced as the world's richest horserace
Japanese globetrotter Deirdre set for Middle East after winter in Newmarket
Remarkable Magic Wand to carry on globetrotting in $20 million Saudi Cup
Members' Club: Racing's latest frontier passes turf test ahead of world's richest race
Read The Lowdown from 8.00am daily on racingpost.com and the Racing Post app for all the day's going updates, news and tips
Published on inInternational
Last updated
- Skyscraper betting and soaring turnover: Japan's mind-boggling racing experience and the unlikely hero who sparked the boom
- Oisin Murphy a man in demand as revitalised Summer Cup card gives South African racing a platform to build on
- Ben Cecil, Grade 1-winning trainer and nephew of Sir Henry, dies aged 56
- Oisin Murphy: 'Billy Loughnane is the most talented rider I have ever seen at his age'
- Turffontein Summer Cup: Oisin Murphy up against Michael Roberts-trained ace See It Again on first ride in South Africa
- Skyscraper betting and soaring turnover: Japan's mind-boggling racing experience and the unlikely hero who sparked the boom
- Oisin Murphy a man in demand as revitalised Summer Cup card gives South African racing a platform to build on
- Ben Cecil, Grade 1-winning trainer and nephew of Sir Henry, dies aged 56
- Oisin Murphy: 'Billy Loughnane is the most talented rider I have ever seen at his age'
- Turffontein Summer Cup: Oisin Murphy up against Michael Roberts-trained ace See It Again on first ride in South Africa