Bahrain Turf Club Increases Investment with $400,000 King’s Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

The King's Cup, which was run as a Group 3 for the first time this year, will be worth $400,000 in 2026, after the Bahrain Turf Club announced a doubling of the prize fund for the most prestigious contest in the Kingdom's racing calendar.

In conjunction with the boost in value to The King's Cup, the international race programme has also been strengthened, creating a clearly signposted 'Road to the King's Cup' for highly-rated horses over both a mile and middle-distances.

This programme culminates with the $120,000 Listed Al Methaq Mile (1600m) and the $400,000 G3 King's Cup (2400m), which will be run next year on Friday, March 6.

Yusuf Buheji, CEO of the Bahrain Turf Club, said, “As the quality of international horse attracted to compete in Bahrain improves, we want to ensure there are attractive and valuable options available to owners and trainers outside of the now established Bahrain Turf Series races. This has led to a strengthening of the international programme and the developing of a 'Road to the King's Cup', which takes in the Crown Prince's Cup and other premier races.

“The King's Cup, run in honour of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, is the most prestigious prize in the Kingdom's racing calendar. The introduction of floodlights last year enabled us to create The King's Cup Festival, with consecutive nights of high-class racing and international competition.”

He added, “Our goal is to keep developing and improving the quality of racing in Bahrain, together with the facilities, thereby making Bahrain an even more attractive and compelling proposition to international visitors.”

The headline race in the first half of the season remains the G2 Bahrain International Trophy, with the $1-million contest taking place this year on Friday, November 14. Last year Spirit Dancer, trained by Richard Fahey and co-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, made history when becoming the first horse to retain the trophy, beating the subsequent Group 1 winner Lead Artist.

Meanwhile, the Bahrain Turf Series returns with 12 races, worth a total of $1 million and a further $80,000 available in bonuses. With both sprint and middle-distances races, the series gets underway on Friday, December 19 and concludes with two handicaps, each worth $100,000, at The King's Cup Festival in March.

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