Howden NEOM Turf Cup Receives Group 1 Status
- Howden extends sponsorship deal by three years
24 November 2025 – Saudi Arabia has been granted a number of Riyadh season race upgrades, including the country’s first top tier race on turf, with the Saudi Cup day USD$3m NEOM Howden Turf Cup being granted Group 1 status ahead of its 2026 running.
At the same time, global insurance broker Howden has extended its partnership with the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) for a further three years, taking the race sponsorship to 2028.
The addition of the Howden NEOM Turf Cup to The Saudi Cup’s line up of Group 1 races, now takes the tally of top flight contests on the day to three, with a glittering undercard including three Group 2s, one Group 3 and a newly minted Listed contest after an upgrade to the Tuwaiq Cup. In addition, the King Saud Cup, held this year on December 27, has also been raised from domestic Group 1 status to an International Listed Race.
The Howden NEOM Turf Cup has been quick to rise through the classifications, with the 2000m race achieving Group 3 status ahead of its 2022 renewal before being promoted to Group 2 ahead of the 2024 running.
A runaway seven-length success for Shadwell’s subsequent Group 1 Royal Ascot Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and Group 1 Juddmonte International winner, Mostahdaf (IRE) in 2023, and a strike for the Sir Alex Ferguson-owned Spirit Dancer (GB) the following year, would have helped boost the race’s status.
The dominant display from the Japanese Shin Emperor (FR) over Calif (GER) and Irish St Leger winner and leading Melbourne Cup candidate, Al Riffa (FR) this year sealed the three-year average the Asian Pattern Committee needed to provide Saudi Arabia with the upgrade, which this year will take place on February 14, as the nation hosts the 41st Asian Racing Conference.
The Howden NEOM Turf Cup now sits alongside the USD$20m Saudi Cup as a Group 1 event, with the world’s richest race having received that recognition before just its third running in 2022. The Obaiya Arabian Classic completes the trio of top tier contests held on Saudi Cup day.
His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Khalid AlFaisal, Chairman of the JCSA, said: “This is very good news for the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia as we prepare to host the seventh renewal of The Saudi Cup weekend in February next year.
“Turf racing did not exist in The Kingdom prior to 2020, so to have achieved a first Group 1 on the surface in this time frame is something we are justifiably proud of and could not have achieved without the vision of our wise leadership, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister (may God protect them).
“Our partnership with Howden has been an additional source of pride over the last two years and we welcome the extension of this arrangement for a further three years. We look forward to building on our relationship with Howden in the coming years.”
Announcing the new three-year extended sponsorship, Howden founder and CEO David Howden, added: “I love racing in Riyadh. It’s been incredible watching the transformation of the course in the last few years and seeing Prince Bandar realise his vision of turning horse racing in the Kingdom into such an incredible spectacle. What’s so special about Saudi is that it’s a truly global race meeting. The top trainers and jockeys whether from the UK, Europe, America or, of course, Japan – who have dominated the Howden NEOM Cup in recent years – are not just attracted by the fantastic prize money but by the incredible competition. And the upgrade of the Howden NEOM Cup to a Group One race is a testament to the incredible success of the meeting.
“Yet our relationship with JCSA is only just hitting its stride. So I couldn’t be prouder to extend our partnership for a further three years and see our name attached to such a prestigious race. More broadly, following on from our recent exciting partnership renewals at Ascot, Victoria Racing Club and Bahrain Turf Club, this sponsorship underlines our commitment to global racing itself. So there's a huge amount to look forward to and I can't wait to cheer home the first ever Group 1 winner of the Howden NEOM Turf Cup!”