Saudi Arabia Gets Its First G1 on Turf as the Neom Howden Turf Cup Makes a Historic Leap
- Turf Diario
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The Asian Pattern Committee has confirmed that the race will be upgraded to G1 status for its 2026 running
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Special to Turf Diario).- Saudi Arabia continues to accelerate its transformation into a global racing power. The Asian Pattern Committee has confirmed the promotion of the Neom Howden Turf Cup to international G1 status, making it the first top-level turf race in the Kingdom’s history. The upgrade will take effect in February of 2026, during the seventh edition of the Saudi Cup meeting.
The announcement comes alongside the renewal, for a further three seasons, of the sponsorship agreement between the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) and global insurance group Howden, which will remain attached to the meeting through 2028.
Run over 2100 meters on turf, the Neom Turf Cup was elevated to G3 in 2022 and to G2 in 2024, but a sequence of high-class renewals ultimately pushed it to the top tier. It began with the dominant victory of Mostahdaf (Frankel) in 2023—later a G1 winner in both the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the Juddmonte International—followed by the success of British runner Spirit Dancer (Frankel), owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, and most recently the authoritative performance of Shin Emperor (Siyouni), who this year defeated Germany’s Calif (Areion) and Irish St Leger winner Al Riffa (Wootton Bassett). That three-year average performance was decisive.
With this upgrade, the Saudi Cup card will now feature three G1 races: the Saudi Cup (US$20 million), the Obaiya Arabian Classic, and the newly promoted Neom Howden Turf Cup. In addition, the program now includes three G2 contests, one G3, and a new Listed race following the promotion of the Tuwaiq Cup. The King Saud Cup, run in December, has also been elevated to international Listed status.
For the JCSA, the move carries strong symbolic weight. “There were no turf races here before 2020; reaching a G1 level in such a short time is a tremendous source of pride,” said His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Khalid AlFaisal, chairman of the organization. He thanked the Kingdom’s institutional support and highlighted the importance of the ongoing partnership with Howden.
From the sponsor’s side, founder and CEO David Howden welcomed the news: “Riyadh has become a truly global meeting. The promotion of the Neom Cup to G1 status is recognition of its success and another step in our commitment to major international races.”
With February approaching and the 41st Asian Racing Conference also set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia continues to consolidate its ambition of becoming a major global racing hub. And now, with G1 status secured, the Neom Howden Turf Cup stands as one of the jewels of this new landscape.
