Racing under the Riyadh lights takes centre stage on Saturday, December 20, as King Abdulaziz Racecourse hosts the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia Cup Race Meeting 50. The twelve-race programme will unfold from 3:15pm to 8:20pm, building steadily toward a pair of high-profile contests that anchor the evening, led by the Domestic Group 3 JCSA Cup and supported by the Saeed Al Majed Cup, ensuring a night defined by depth, progression and competitive intensity.
The racing will begin promptly at 3:15pm with Race 1, the Arabian Horses Open, a 1200-metre test for four-year-olds and upward. Ten contenders will step forward chasing a prize pool of SAR 120,000, setting an early tone of speed and intent. At 3:40pm, attention will turn to youth and raw promise as Race 2, the Local Bred Maiden, assembles a full field of 24 two-year-old colts, geldings and fillies over 1400 metres for SAR 40,000, a race where first impressions will matter deeply.
That theme will continue at 4:05pm with Race 3, the Maiden, again drawing 24 three-year-olds over the same 1400-metre trip and prize money of SAR 40,000, before the meeting begins to stretch into more tactical territory. Race 4, the Local Bred Handicap 0–75 at 4:35pm, will ask 24 runners aged three and above to balance pace and positioning over 1400 metres, competing for SAR 85,000 in a race that often rewards discipline as much as ability.
The middle of the card will deepen in quality and intrigue. At 5:00pm, Race 5, the Rashed Bin A. Al-Zenaidy Award, will bring together 15 three-year-old colts, geldings and fillies over 1200 metres, with SAR 130,000 on offer and a sharper competitive edge beginning to form. That momentum will carry into Race 6 at 5:30pm, a Handicap 0–80 over 2000 metres for 19 runners, where stamina and composure will be tested for a purse of SAR 85,000.
As the evening builds toward its centrepiece, Race 7, the Saeed Al Majed Cup, will take centre stage at 6:00pm. Fourteen runners aged three and upward will line up over 2000 metres, contesting SAR 150,000 in a race that traditionally sharpens the competitive atmosphere and signals that the night is moving into its most serious phase.
The late programme will continue at 6:30pm with Race 8, another Maiden event, where 24 three-year-old colts, geldings and fillies will stretch out over 1800 metres for SAR 40,000, before all eyes turn firmly toward the feature attraction.
At 7:00pm, the spotlight will narrow on Race 9, the JCSA Cup, a Domestic Group 3 event for three-year-olds and upward. Six contenders will clash over 1800 metres for SAR 165,000, in a race designed to reward class, control and composure. As the defining contest of the evening, it will carry both prestige and consequence, shaping reputations and commanding the deepest attention of the night.
The closing stages will maintain intensity rather than ease away. Race 10 at 7:25pm, an Open contest for two-year-old colts, geldings and fillies, will see 11 runners cover 1600 metres for SAR 75,000, followed at 7:50pm by Race 11, a Handicap 0–80 restricted to apprentice jockeys riding hand and heels, where 15 runners will contest SAR 85,000 over 1600 metres.
The evening will conclude at 8:20pm with Race 12, a Prep for the King Abdulaziz Cup, bringing together 18 three-year-olds over 1600 metres for SAR 85,000, offering a forward-looking finale that hints at what lies ahead in the season.
As Saturday night approaches, King Abdulaziz Racecourse will be set to deliver far more than a race meeting. With twelve races, a vibrant entertainment programme and the JCSA Cup standing tall at its core, the evening will promise momentum, meaning and memorable theatre. Under the Riyadh lights, December 20 will be shaped not by a single moment, but by a carefully rising arc that leads, inevitably, to the roar surrounding the JCSA Cup itself.
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