Have horse will travel - this quarter we focus on opportunities in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Hong Kong
/Article by Lissa Oliver
Hong Kong
While the celebrated Champions Day and Longines International races attract plenty of attention globally, all 31 Group races run in Hong Kong are open to overseas entries and include x12 established Group 1 contests, x7 Group 2 and x12 Group 3 races.
Prize money for Group 1 races ranges from HK$13 million (€1.5m/£1.3m) to HK$40 million (€4.6m/£3.84m), while Group 2 races are worth HK$5.35 million (€622,000/£530,000), and Group 3 races offer HK$4.2 million (€493,000/£420,000). The Group 1 contests include prize money down to sixth place and all are open to three-year-olds and up and run on Turf at Sha Tin.
The Triple Crown includes a bonus of €1.1m/£1m to be paid to the owner of the horse that wins all three legs of the Triple Crown. The opportunity opens with the 1600m (8f) Stewards Cup worth €1.48m/£1.2m, Sunday 19th January 2025. Free entries for international runners close 25th December and supplementary entries close 16th January 2025.
The second leg of the Triple Crown is the Hong Kong Gold Cup on Sunday 23rd February 2025 over 2000m (10f), worth €1.48m/£1.2m. Free entries close 27th January 2025 and supplementary entries close 11th February 2025.
The final leg of the Triple Crown is on Sunday 25th May 2025, the 2400m (12f) Champions & Chater Cup, with a purse of €1.48m/£1.2m. Free entries close 27th April 2025 and supplementary entries close 11th May 2025.
Another bonus available is for the winning horse of all three legs of the Hong Kong Speed Series. Sunday 19th January 2025 sees the 1200m (6f) Centenary Sprint Cup, the first leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series, worth €1.48m/£1.2m, with free entries closing 30th December 2024 and supplementary entries closing 13th January 2025. A bonus of €580,000/£500,000 will be paid to the owner of the horse that wins all three legs of the Hong Kong Speed Series.
Sunday 23rd February 2025 is the 1400m (7f) Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, the second leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series, carrying prize money of €1.48m/£1.2m. Free entries close 30th January 2025 and supplementary entries close 16th February 2025.
The 1200m (6f) Chairman’s Sprint Prize is the final leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series, worth €2.5m/£2.2m, run on Sunday 27th April 2025, free entries closing 16th March 2025 and supplementary entries closing 6th April 2025.
The Hong Kong feature event is the Longines Hong Kong International Races on Sunday 8th December, billed as the epitome of elegance and speed, featuring elite jockeys and the world’s best horses. As well as four Group One races on the day, racegoers can enjoy a variety show, live music, exquisite cuisine and a vibrant party atmosphere. Free entries for the major races on the day close 21st October and supplementary entry closes 18th November at €27,804/£23,690.
The four Group 1 races are the €2.78m/£2.31m Hong Kong Vase over 2400m (12f); the €3.01m/£2.51m 1200m (6f) Hong Kong Sprint; the €4.17m/£3.48m 1600m (8f) Hong Kong Mile; and the €4.63m/£3.86m 2000m (10f) Hong Kong Cup.
Sunday 27th April 2025 sees FWD Champions Day, one of Hong Kong’s most popular sports events. Featuring three prestigious Group 1 races on the day, free entries closing 16th March 2025 and supplementary entries closing 6th April 2025, it provides local racing fans with the chance to see how the city’s top horses shape up against their overseas counterparts.
The 1600m (8f) Champions Mile is worth €2.76m/£2.3m; the 2000m (10f) QEII Cup is worth €3.2m/£2.7m; and the aforementioned 1200m (6f) Chairman’s Sprint Prize is the final leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club offers shipping incentives to selected overseas horses for the seven feature Group 1 races (Longines Hong Kong Cup, Longines Hong Kong Mile, Longines Hong Kong Sprint, Longines Hong Kong Vase, FWD QEII Cup, FWD Champions Mile and Chairman’s Sprint Prize). The Quarantine Stables are located at Sha Tin Racecourse, 45 minutes from Hong Kong International Airport.
The stable blocks are temperature controlled, with rubber flooring throughout and monitored by closed circuit television. Each stable is equipped with a feed manger and tie up ring.
The isolation stables compound includes rubberised horse walkers, sand rolls, weighing scales, wash bays, ice machines, freezers and an all-weather arena. Paper strips and shavings are available for bedding.
The Club imports feed from Australia, China, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK and the USA, and large selections of proprietary feeds are also available. The Club has excellent stocks of Timothy Hay, Lucerne Hay and Chaffs. Importation of feed and water, subject to examination, is permitted, however the import of plant material such as hay and chaff is subject to a valid Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the exporting country.
Connections of selected overseas horses for Hong Kong’s seven feature Group 1 races will enjoy travel and accommodation packages provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, two tickets each for the owner and trainer and one ticket for the jockey. Four nights hotel accommodation (room only) will be provided for a maximum of two persons per category at the Club’s selected hotel. All airport and racecourse transfers are also included.
For staff, a maximum of two persons per horse will also be provided with accommodation (one room each) at the Club’s selected hotel in Sha Tin for the normal duration of the trip. A predetermined daily allowance to cover in-house expenses such as food and beverages, transport, telephone and internet, as well as laundry, will also be provided. All airport, stabling facilities and racecourse transfers are also included.
For those visiting, the five-star Hyatt Regency at Sha Tin provides an urban resort with a luxury spa, adjacent to the University MTR Station in Sha Tin, with lush greenery only steps away from busy urban areas.
Dubai
The Dubai Racing Carnival, now in its 20th year and given a new look for last year’s season, opens in November at Meydan Racecourse. Alongside top-class racing, Meydan boasts five-star dining and live entertainment and is 15 minutes from Dubai’s central hub. The racecourse offers tailored hospitality packages at the restaurants, lounges and private suites, all with elevated views of the racing. The climate is also described as “pleasant” during the winter season.
Home of the €28.1m (£24m) Dubai World Cup meeting, Meydan is the world’s largest integrated racing facility and hosts 15 meetings throughout the season, concluding in early April with the Dubai World Cup, the highlight of Dubai’s sporting and social calendar.
There are a number of valuable opportunities all season, beginning in November with the €125,600 (£106,912) Listed Dubai Creek Mile on dirt for three-year-olds up. January is busy, with 11 black type races from 1000m (5f) up to 2810m (14f) and ranging from €125,600 (£106,912) for Listed up to €213,489 (£181,719) for Group 2s and €924,282 (£786,662) for the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge, 1900m (9f) on dirt. On turf, the Group 1 Jebel Hatta, 1800m (9f) carries a purse of €464,658 (£395,469).
The 2025 Carnival sees the introduction of The Dubai World Cup bonus scheme, which offers a total prize pool of €3.5m (£2.9m) across 10 races. Winners of these races will get automatic entry to Dubai World Cup night.
An additional 10% bonus is awarded to horses that win both the qualifying race, and the corresponding race on Dubai World Cup night.
The scheme has been created to encourage more owners and trainers to prepare their horses in Dubai ahead of the Dubai World Cup.
Fifteen black type races from Listed up to Group 2 are run at Meydan during February and March, again from 1000m (5f) to 2810m (14f) and with similar valuable prizes, all of which lead through to the end-of-season highlight of Dubai World Cup night.
The Group 1 Dubai World Cup itself will be run a week later than normal next year on April 5th and the feature race will be worth €10.7m (£8.9m)
The highlights of the supporting card’s Group 1s are the 1200m (6f) Al Quoz Sprint on turf worth €1.4m (£1.2m), the 1200m (6f) Dubai Golden Shaheen on dirt worth €1.8m (£1.6m), the 1800m (9f) Dubai Turf worth €4.6m (£3.9m), and the 2410m (12f) Dubai Sheema Classic on turf worth €5.5m (£4.7m).
In 2025 the UAE Derby, worth €900k (£745k), will form the final leg of the revised Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby. The winner of the race will get an automatic spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May - subject to the horse being nominated to the U.S Triple Crown series.
Elsewhere in the UAE, the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club hosts the Listed 1600m (8f) Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup in December, and the Listed 1400m (7f) HH The President Cup, both on turf with a prize of €95,443 (£81,242) each. Jebel Ali Racecourse hosts the Listed Jebel Ali Sprint, the third leg of the Emirates Sprint Series, 1000m (5f) on dirt for a prize of €125,600 (£106,912), and the Group 3 Jebel Ali Mile on dirt, €175,840 (£149,677).
Saudi Arabia
Since its inaugural running in 2020, The Saudi Cup has rapidly become a major international race and in 2025 Saudi Cup Weekend at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh will have total prize money of over €34.68m (£29.5m) on offer, including the 1800m (9f) Group 1 Saudi Cup itself worth €18.5m (£15.73m). The meeting, at the end of February, is also Riyadh’s social event of the year, offering visiting racegoers a taste of the finest style, culture and hospitality of Saudi Arabia.
The two days of top-quality racing include an International Jockeys Challenge, two Group 1 Purebred Arabian races, the €462,235 Al Tuwaiq Cup for locally-trained horses and dirt and turf races culminating in the Group 1 Saudi Cup, the world’s richest race, run on the King Abdulaziz dirt track, the final event on Saturday’s eight-race card.
Adding international flavour to the Friday card is the 2100m (10f) €462,235 (£393,255) Saudi International Handicap confined to horses trained within the IFHA-registered Part II and III racing countries, which should be of interest to the relevant European countries. (Part II nations Bahrain, India, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Scandinavia, Singapore, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. Part III nations Belgium, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Hungary, Jamaica, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Qatar, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and Trinidad & Tobago.)
With prize money down to 10th place, The Saudi Cup serves to raise the profile of racing to local communities, as well as foreign fans and professionals. The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia was formed in 1965, but the founding of The Saudi Cup and the 1800m turf track at King Abdulaziz Racecourse has seen Saudi Arabia upgraded from Part III to Part II by the IFHA and is likely to achieve Part I status in the near future.
2022 saw the first international Pattern races held as part of The Saudi Cup weekend. The 2100m (10f) Neom Turf Cup, the 1351m (7f) Turf Sprint, the 1600m (8f) Saudi Derby, the 1200m (6f) Riyadh Dirt Sprint and the 3000m (15f) Red Sea Turf Handicap were all promoted to Group 3, while the Saudi Cup became Group 1.
With more than 70 international horses, The Saudi Cup hosts more international runners than any other race meeting. Stabling, quarantine and training facilities are provided at all of the racecourses, subject to availability, and invited connections at King Abdulaziz Racecourse are provided with complimentary access to the Howden Owners & Trainers Lounge, and dining in the Al Thuraya Trackside Restaurant.
The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia can arrange transport for delegates and guests between venues, and the racecourses have plentiful free parking with international airports close by. Riyadh Airport Marriott Hotel is a 5-star hotel five minutes from King Khalid International Airport and ten minutes from the racecourse, with a restaurant, gym and outdoor pool. The Radisson Hotel Riyadh Airport is close to the airport and 15 minutes from the racecourse, with spacious rooms, duplexes and villas, as well as restaurants and leisure facilities.
The Equine Hospital in Riyadh provides advanced care in diagnostic procedures, treatment, emergency care and hospitalisation for equine patients, open around-the-clock every day of the year for emergency and critical care cases.
Qatar
The 2023/24 racing season, running from mid-October through to the end of April, saw a rise in prize money and international runners, reflecting the commitment of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) and the high standards of Al Rayyan and Al Uqda racecourses. Work will continue to ensure that the 2024/25 season will meet expectations and continue to raise standards. Al Rayyan at Doha is the premier racecourse and home to the state-of-the-art training centre. The turf track is 1800m (9f) and the sand track 1400m (7f).
Abdulla Al Kubaisi, QREC Racing Manager, says, “We organised 67 race days during the last season, including 45 on both turf and sand at Al Rayyan and the rest on both turf and sand at Al Uqda. We base the season on weather conditions and take into account the ratings of Arabians and thoroughbreds to ensure the largest possible number of horses have the opportunity to run in races, which suit their ages and abilities.
“The 2023-2024 season saw the prize money reach an unprecedented figure in QREC’s history, €22.2m (£18.9m), of which €19.8m (£16.8m) was offered by the races held at Al Rayyan and the remainder at Al Uqda. This contributed to raising the standard, enhancing the stature of the Festival in the region and attracting several runners from European and Asian countries. For the first time, the minimum prize money for a feature race was €30,442 (£25,900).”
Mid-February sees the highlight of the season, the Group 3 HH The Amir Trophy for four-year-olds and up, over 2400m (12f) at Al Rayyan, Doha, carrying a total purse of €2.3m (£2m) and worth €1.3m (£1.1m) to the winner.
