GROUP 3 SAUDI DERBY A NEW GATEWAY TO KENTUCKY DERBY

Points will be up for grabs to qualify for Run For The Roses

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Runners in the Saudi Derby will now be eligible to collect points for the Kentucky Derby in an exciting new link announced by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) and Churchill Downs Incorporated.

The1,600m Group 3 event on the Saudi Cup undercard has been added to a worldwide series of events known as “The Road to The Kentucky Derby”.

It will make it easier for Saudi Arabian owners to have runners in one of the most prestigious horse races in the world — attended annually by over 100,000 people.

The US$L5 million (S$1.95 million) Saudi Derby, which will be staged at King Abdulaziz racecourse in Riyadh on Feb 14, 2026, will have a maximum of 30 points available to the winner to try and qualify for the Group 1 Kentucky Derby (2,000m) at Churchill Downs on May 2.

Two other races, the UAE 2000 Guineas and the Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby Stakes (formerly the Al Bastakiya) at Meydan racecourse, have also been added as races with qualifying points for the European/Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby.

The series now consists of 10 races, and has up to two invitations for the Kentucky Derby, with further points issued behind the winner of each leg down to fifth place.