Saudi Derby Explained

Horse Race:	Saudi Derby
Class:	Grade 3
Surface:	Dirt
Location:	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Inaugurated:	2020
Race Type:	Thoroughbred – Flat racing
Distance:	1,600 meters
Track:	King Abdulaziz Racetrack
Purse:	$1,500,000
Website:	https://jcsa.sa/en/saudi-cup/
Qualification:	Three-year-old Thoroughbred
Weight:	NH: 55kg, SH: 59.5kg If there are no SH-bred: 57kg Filly allowance: 2kg

Saudi Derby is an international horse race held at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.^[1]

Race details

The race was founded by the Saudi Arabia Jockey Club in 2020. It is currently run at 1,600 meters on dirt, only open to three-year-old thoroughbreds, with a prize money of 1.5 million USD.^{[2] [3]}

Currently run as an undercard race on the Saudi Cup Night.

History

• 2020 – Race was founded under the name "Samba Saudi Derby Cup".^[4]
• 2021 – Race name was changed to "Saudi Derby".^[5]
• 2022 – IFHA promotes the race to international grade 3.^[6]
• 2023 – A locally owned horse wins for the first time (Commissioner King).

Winners

Year	Winner	Foaled	Trained	Owned	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2020^[7]	Full Flat				Yutaka Take	Hideyuki Mori	Teruo Ono	1:37.91
2021^[8]	Pink Kamehameha				Keita Tosaki	Hideyuki Mori	Hisako Kimura	1:38.57
2022^[9]	Pinehurst				Flavien Prat	Bob Baffert	SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing & Madaket Stables	1:38.12
2023^[10]	Commissioner King				Luis Morales	Sabah Alshammri	Faisal Mohammed Alqahtani	1:38.82
2024^[11]	Forever Young				Ryusei Sakai	Yoshito Yahagi	Susumu Fujita	1:36.17

• Record Time: 1:36.17 – Forever Young

See also

• Horses in Saudi Arabia

References

• Racing Post:
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Notes and References

1. Web site: 2024 Saudi Cup: Complete Guide to the 2024 Saudi Cup Day . 2024-03-10 . netkeiba.com . en.
2. Web site: 2023-01-12 . Entries from 22 countries for $35.35m Saudi Cup . 2024-03-10 . www.tradearabia.com . The Saudi Derby, worth $1.5 million and run over 1600m, has been won by Japan and the US in its three runnings but this year Uruguay has a strong entry, with Es-Unico (BRZ) and Loreley (BRZ) near the top of the international ratings, which are headed by the Saeed Bin Suroor-trained Mawj (IRE)..
3. News: Carasso . Alan . Japan's Forever Young Edges Book'em Danno In Another Saudi Derby Cliffhanger . TDN Thoroughbred Daily News Horse Racing News, Results and Video Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions . 24 February 2024 . en.
4. Web site: 2020-02-29 . Speightstown's Full Flat Takes The Saudi Derby . 2024-03-10 . Thoroughbred Daily News . en.
5. Web site: Dates and bigger prize money purse announced for Saudi Cup 2021 . 2024-03-10 . Arab News . en.
6. Web site: 2022 International Cataloguing Standards Book . 2023-04-06.
7. Web site: サンバサウジダービーカップ 2020/2/29(土) . 2024-03-11 . JRA-VAN Ver.World . ja.
8. Web site: サウジダービー 2021/2/20(土) . 2024-03-11 . JRA-VAN Ver.World . ja.
9. Web site: サウジダービー（G3） 2022/2/26(土) . 2024-03-11 . JRA-VAN Ver.World . ja.
10. Web site: サウジダービー（G3） 2023/2/25(土) . 2024-03-11 . JRA-VAN Ver.World . ja.
11. Web site: サウジダービー（G3） 2024/2/24(土) . 2024-03-11 . JRA-VAN Ver.World . ja.