Riyadh Dirt Sprint () is an international horse race held at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Race details The race was founded by the Saudi Arabia Jockey Club in 2020. It is currently run at 1,200 meters on dirt, only open to three-year-old thoroughbreds and above, with a prize money of US$1.5 million. The prize money has been increased to $2,000,000 for 2025.
Currently run as an undercard race on the Saudi Cup Night.
Horses trained overseas must have finished in the top 4 in a graded or listed race in an International Federation of Horseracing Authorities Part I country. Alternatively, horses must have a rating of 100 or higher (96 or higher for fillies or mares) in their home country at the time of registration.
History
2020 – Race was founded under the name "Saudia Sprint". 2021 – Race name was changed to "Riyadh Dirt Sprint". 2022 – IFHA promotes the race to international grade 3.
Winners YearWinnerFoaledTrainedOwnedAgeJockeyTrainerOwnerTime2020New York Central5Irad Ortiz Jr.Fahad SaadFaisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz1:11.682021Copano Kicking6William BuickAkira MurayamaSachiaki Kobayashi1:10.662022Dancing Prince6Christophe LemaireKeisuke MiyataChizu Yoshida1:10.262023Elite Power5Frankie DettoriWilliam I. MottJuddmonte1:11.012024Remake5Yuga KawadaKoichi ShintaniKoji Maeda1:10.422025Straight No Chaser6John R. VelazquezDan BlackerMy Racehorse1:11.1592026Imagination5Flavien PratBob BaffertSF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing1:12.00
Record Time: 1:10.26 – Dancing Prince
See also Horses in Saudi Arabia
References
Bibliography Racing Post: , , , , , ,