Ahead of the third running of the Saudi Cup on Saturday, HRH Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) and driving force behind the world’s richest race, speaks exclusively to TRC’s George Dudley in a two-part interview. Part 2 on Thursday
George Dudley: This is the third time that we have sat down to look forward to a Saudi Cup. Year one was about creating a new global event, while the second was affected by the global pandemic. What, therefore, are the unknown variables going into the third edition of the Saudi Cup and what are you most looking forward to?
Prince Bandar: This is the third time that we will run the Saudi Cup, and hopefully there will be many, many more. The original challenge was to convince people that we could put on an international race and gain their trust on infrastructure, transportation, quarantine, race management and the overall experience for the horses and their connections.
We were hit by COVID the second time round, which was a challenge for everyone in the world, but the Saudi Cup was one of the few international races that went ahead. All of that has, I think, given a level of comfort to international and domestic owners and trainers.
There are fewer variables out there this year. The biggest challenge is to execute an international race to a scale that is slightly larger than the first one. While COVID is still here, we are confident that people have a greater understanding of PCR tests now. When it comes to the equine side, we are quite comfortable; but it is managing the people that want to attend the race and the connections of the horses that is more complicated.
I am looking forward to a wonderful international gathering. The potential race line-ups are no less strong than the previous two iterations of the Saudi Cup. In fact, the undercards are stronger this year.
You mentioned that you needed to “convince people” about the Saudi Cup and also gain their trust in year one. Have you achieved this?
It was a question mark in the beginning. I believe that the first Saudi Cup was a pleasant surprise to many people around the world. We had the benefit of people’s experiences in Dubai, which gave us a level of trust in the region. The GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries were not, therefore, alien to them or perceived as a distant part of the world.
That familiarity with the region really helped in the beginning. It was just a matter of people coming and going through the experience – how it was to travel here, looking at the track, seeing the quarantine facilities and understanding how the equine transportation would work.
I feel that, yes, we have gained their trust. The prize-money is quite interesting and just over five weeks separate the Saudi Cup and the Dubai World Cup.
Every year we tweak things and move it a step further but I think that we have a winning proposal and it just works the way it is.
The Saudi Cup will be run as a G1 for the first time and Saudi Arabia has been promoted to a Part II country in the IFHA’s International Cataloguing Standards (ICS) Book. How important are these upgrades and can you tell me about what went into achieving this?
It is extremely important. We announced two years ago that we are working towards becoming a Group 1 race and working with the IFHA [International Federation of Horseracing Authorities] on this.
I was tasked with moving Saudi Arabia to G1, but also to create a second-to-none equine and horse racing environment. I am looking at the season as a whole and horse welfare. I am looking at the bigger picture – the Saudi Cup is a major part of that, and I think that some of the undercard races will move up in status, as well as some of the other local races becoming Listed or G3 in the next couple of years.
It is very exciting for me to see horse racing move in that direction in this part of the world. We have a long season here – we start in June and end in March – and we are one of the few countries in the GCC that can run a 10-month season. That package becomes extremely attractive to regional players, and we are going to start to see that this summer.
Now, the Saudi Cup becoming a G1 definitely makes it more interesting for a lot of global connections and what I am really excited about is the undercard races and the other ones throughout the season.
We have been working closely with people in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman to have a coordinated season. This will, of course, be interesting for local competitors and those who are local to come here and spend the winter in this part of the world and we can help with the ease of transportation between the GCC countries. In the coming years, you will find that the way we schedule the race will have created almost a season in the region, which trainers can really start to plan for.
How closely do you work with those other Jockey Clubs in the GCC?
Very closely. We are talking on a monthly basis and there will be some announcements in the near future, probably in connection with the Saudi Cup. None of us are looking at this as competing jurisdictions as we feel that we can all benefit here [from the success of the Saudi Cup] and it will just add to the attraction of this part of the world.
We just went through a change in the rules and regulations here. We have opened participation in Saudi Arabia to all nationalities and all jurisdictions, and there are no restrictions on the ownership side anymore. Previously, if you were not a Saudi citizen you had problems participating in Saudi racing – I could never understand why we had that rule. On the training side, everyone who is a member of the IFHA gets automatic recognition and a licence to train independent in the kingdom.
The goal is to open up the kingdom – we are open for business, and it only adds to us to have people from other countries and regions participating.
What has the feedback been from international horsemen for the Saudi Cup?
I am delighted that people have had a positive reaction to the Saudi Cup. Not everybody has the right horse to come for a specific year and there are some trainers that are not comfortable travelling. It’s just not in their program. That’s definitely understandable. They are comfortable where they are and this is an added dimension that doesn’t attract them.
There are, on the other hand, many trainers who are the opposite. So from those that are interested in the international scene the reception has been really good. It does a lot for horse racing across the world to have one big race in each of the 12 months of the year for people to plan for and I think that February is Saudi Cup time, March is for the Dubai World Cup, and then you get into the European and American seasons before looking towards Hong Kong, Japan and Australia.
There is certainly room for one or two more big races – who knows? It is good for the industry.
What have been the main highlights or achievements for the team at the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia?
Putting together an international race that is able to attract people from across the world. Yes, the prize-money always helps and the Saudi Cup being the highest one is going to attract people. We know that. Money alone is not going to do it, however, and you need to have the complete package.
The team that we have put together [at the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia] – Tom [Ryan, director of strategy and international racing], Sarah [Tregoning, media and communications director], Emer [Fallon, director of racing services] and Paul [Roberts, Turnberry Consulting] – bring a lot of experience. Some of locals that love the international exposure are learning every day from them.
What makes me very happy is that I have started to see this reflected on the rest of the season, which is now being influenced a lot by what is happening in the Saudi Cup. Upgrading the whole race experience and, for me, that is what is very exciting.
For you personally, what has been the standout moment of the process?
The first Saudi Cup was very emotional – we pulled it off in something like seven months! That was extremely satisfying and everyone told us to “think of us for next year”, but that was before COVID. That was a big moment for me.
Frankly, in an odd way, to see the rest of my season being influenced by the Saudi Cup is very satisfying. As is all of these new owners from the kingdom coming into the sport. Each year we see new faces, many young people that are excited about horse racing, which is good for the industry, and trainers are changing to more professional set-ups.
We are having to cater to horse racing from being a hobby – and somewhat of a sport – to becoming an industry in Saudi Arabia. That for me is probably the most satisfying experience that I have had.
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