MADRID (WAM)
San Sebastián Racecourse in the Kingdom of Spain will host the Spain leg of the UAE President’s Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses on Saturday, as part of the 33rd edition. It is the Prestigious Cup’s second appearance on Spanish soil.
The Cup series is staged in support of plans to develop the Arabian horse racing industry and to sustain the backing of owners and breeders around the world, encouraging them to acquire and breed Arabian horses.
This work helps preserve the breed’s authentic heritage, elevate its standing and strengthen its presence at the most significant international festivals and racecourses.
The Spain leg holds a distinguished place within the current edition, following the considerable success of its debut at San Sebastián in 2025. That inaugural staging drew a crowd of more than 12,000 spectators and wide positive resonance, highlighting the value of the leg and its role in supporting Arabian horse owners and breeders and in strengthening the profile of the breed’s racing in Spain and across the European continent.
The race will start at 5:05 pm Spanish time (7:05 pm UAE time) and will be contested over 1,600 metres on turf. The Group 3 race is open to purebred Arabian horses aged four and above, with nine runners competing for total prize money of 200,000 euros.
Attention at the Spanish summit turns to Chdia (by Al Mourtajez out of Rkaya), representing Wathnan Racing, trained by Alban de Mieulle and ridden by Soufiane Saadi. She enters the race with a distinguished record, having claimed the Germany leg title of the Prestigious Cup during the current season.
Also prominent is HM Majdallah (by Izz Al Khail out of Ankaa Karim), owned by Mohammed Alhuzami, trained by Thomas Fourcy and ridden by Mickael Forest, following his third-place finish at the Germany leg of the current edition. He is joined by Bianca de Ghazal (by Al Mourtajez out of Brin d’Amour de Gazal), owned by Nasser Abdulla A.A. Al-Mesned, trained by Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte and ridden by A. Gutierrez Val.
The race also features a notable UAE representative in Wala’a (by Gazwan out of Mabrooka), owned by Yas Horse Racing Management, trained by Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte and ridden by Guillaume Guedj-Gay.
The Spain leg comes just one day after the Prestigious Cup’s first ever appearance at Newbury Racecourse in the United Kingdom, marking a further extension of its European journey within the 33rd edition.
Back-to-back legs on consecutive days reflect the strength of the Cup’s global agenda and its commitment to delivering quality races that support owners and breeders and strengthen the standing of the Purebred Arabian horse at the most prominent international racecourses.
Al Wakrah, owned and bred by Al Shaqab Racing, was crowned champion of the inaugural Spain leg in 2025 after a distinguished performance that carried her to victory in the Group 3 contest at San Sebastián, writing her name into the record as the leg’s first champion in the history of the Prestigious Cup.
Matar Suhail Al Yabhouni Al Dhaheri, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of the UAE President’s Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses, said, "We are pleased to see the Prestigious Cup return to San Sebastián Racecourse, following the distinguished success the Spain leg achieved on its first appearance last season and the considerable public turnout, important gains and wide resonance it recorded. These reflected the standing of the series and its value to owners and breeders in Spain and across Europe."
He said the Spain leg comes as an extension of the continued global successes of the Prestigious Cup, thanks to the substantial support of the wise leadership vision and commitment to developing the Arabian horse racing industry.
Al Dhaheri also commended the strong participation of elite horses, owners and studs in the San Sebastián race, and the presence of a group of names that have delivered notable results at legs of the current edition.