Riyadh Racing Season 2026-27: Dates, Big Race Days and How to Get Tickets

The Riyadh Racing Season 2026-27 opens on Friday 16 October 2026 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse and runs to 17 April 2027: 50 race days, every Friday and Saturday, with SAR 236.3 million in prize money across the season. The centrepiece is the Saudi Cup meeting on 5-6 February 2027. Tickets and race-day details sit on the Riyadh Racing Season listing on webook.com.

When does the Riyadh Racing Season 2026-27 start and end?

Racing starts on Friday 16 October 2026 and closes on 17 April 2027, all of it at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. The programme published by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia sets out 50 race days across six months, run on Fridays and Saturdays, with 21 of those days carrying feature racing and 69 major-cup races on the calendar.

The money is serious even by Gulf standards. Total prize money across the season comes to SAR 236.3 million, with SAR 197.8 million of it riding on the major cups. The full programme sits in the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia’s official announcement.

What are the key race days this season?

Eight dates carry the season’s weight, and every one of them lands on a Friday, a Saturday or both.

1. Season opener, 16-17 October 2026. The first cards of the new campaign and the first look at the horses that will shape the winter.
2. Crown Prince Cup, 27 November 2026. One of the Kingdom’s classic races, with its purse raised to SAR 1.5 million this season.
3. Kings’ Weekend, 18-19 December 2026. Two days of feature racing in mid-December.
4. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup weekend, 8-9 January 2027. The cup’s prize fund rises to SAR 2 million.
5. Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Festival, 15-16 January 2027. A two-day festival meeting three weeks before the Saudi Cup.
6. The Saudi Cup meeting, 5-6 February 2027. The eighth renewal, and the weekend most visitors plan a trip around.
7. King Abdulaziz Founder’s Cups, 12 March 2027. A single card carrying SAR 10.9 million in prize money.
8. Season finale, 17 April 2027. The last race day before the summer break.

What happens on Saudi Cup weekend?

The Saudi Cup meeting runs over two days, Friday 5 and Saturday 6 February 2027, at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. It is the eighth renewal of the meeting and the fixture the rest of the programme builds towards.

One change matters for form students this year: the Saudi Derby has been upgraded from Group 3 to Group 2 by the Asian Pattern Committee and runs on Saudi Cup day itself. The final leg of the new Riyadh Sword Series lands on the same weekend. If Saudi racing is on your list at all, this is the weekend to be in Riyadh, and the one to plan earliest.

What’s new for 2026-27?

Three changes stand out in the Jockey Club’s programme.

1. The Saudi Derby moves up to Group 2, effective this season, and keeps its slot on Saudi Cup day, 6 February 2027.
2. The Riyadh Crown Series arrives: a new three-leg series for locally bred colts and geldings, run on 4 December, 22 January and 12 March, with SAR 6 million across the three rounds.
3. The Riyadh Sword Series runs in parallel for fillies, with legs on 5 December, 8 January and 6 February.

Purses rise across the established cups too, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup to SAR 2 million and the Crown Prince Cup to SAR 1.5 million among them.

How do race weekends work at King Abdulaziz Racecourse?

Race days fall on Fridays and Saturdays, which in Saudi Arabia means the weekend: no leave required, no school-night maths. Six months and 50 race days also mean you rarely need to force a date. If one weekend fails, the next one almost certainly has a card.

The Jockey Club publishes each meeting’s detailed timetable closer to its date, so gate times and the race-by-race card are not out yet for most of the season. The practical move for planners: lock the big cup dates above into your calendar now, then check the listing as your chosen meeting approaches for that weekend’s details.

Can I go to an ordinary race day instead of a cup day?

Yes, and it is arguably the better introduction. With racing every Friday and Saturday from October to April, most race days are regular cards without the cup-day crowds. You get the same track and the same standard of racing with a far easier run at the experience. Fifty race days is a lot of chances to get it right.

How do I get tickets to the Riyadh Racing Season?

Everything routes through one page: the Riyadh Racing Season listing on webook.com. Race-day tickets for 2026-27 meetings are published there as sales open. The Jockey Club has not released ticket prices for the new season yet; when a meeting goes on sale, its prices show on the listing first.

For the rest of the city’s calendar on any given race weekend, concerts, dining and family days included, browse what’s on in Riyadh. And if racing is your gateway into Saudi sport, the guide to the top sports events in Saudi covers what else the Kingdom hosts across the year.

Travelling to Riyadh for a race weekend?

A Saudi Cup trip is a natural two-day visit, and the practical pieces all sit in one place. Flights from wherever you are start at the flights search on webook.com. For a February weekend, aim to land by Thursday night so Friday’s card is not a jet-lag blur.

For somewhere to sleep, the hotels search covers Riyadh. On a big race weekend, book as soon as your dates firm up.

Visitors from abroad can apply for a Saudi eVisa through the e-visa page on webook.com, and the Package Visa bundles round-trip flights, licensed accommodation and an electronic visa application into one booking. The Saudi Package Visa guide explains how it works. It is an application rather than an instant grant, so start it well before your race weekend.

Questions people ask about the Riyadh Racing Season

How much are Riyadh Racing Season tickets?

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia has not published ticket prices for the 2026-27 season yet. Prices for each race day appear on the Riyadh Racing Season listing on webook.com when sales open for that meeting, so check the listing a couple of weeks before the race day you want.

Which days of the week have racing?

Fridays and Saturdays, the Saudi weekend. The season runs from 16 October 2026 to 17 April 2027 with 50 race days across six months, so most weekends in that window carry racing at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. The feature cup days land on the programme dates listed above.

When is the Saudi Cup 2027?

The Saudi Cup meeting runs over two days, Friday 5 and Saturday 6 February 2027, at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. It is the eighth renewal of the meeting, and the newly upgraded Group 2 Saudi Derby runs on the Saturday card.

Do I need a visa to attend from abroad?

Visitors from outside Saudi Arabia can apply for a Saudi eVisa, and on webook.com the Package Visa bundles round-trip flights, licensed accommodation and an electronic visa application into one booking. It is an application rather than an instant grant, so start it well before your race weekend.

The season opens on 16 October 2026. Get tickets on webook.com.