Abu Dhabi Turf Club announces $1,000,000 Abu Dhabi Gold Cup

The Abu Dhabi Turf Club has announced the inaugural running of the $1,000,000 Abu Dhabi Gold Cup to be run over the right-handed one-turn turf mile at the Abu Dhabi Turf Club Racecourse on Saturday, February 7.

The new event will be the most valuable thoroughbred race ever to be held in Abu Dhabi, with the winner set to receive $600,000. It is free to enter, with entries closing on February 4. Travel and stabling costs for overseas runners will be paid for by the Abu Dhabi Turf Club, with owners, trainers and jockeys also being hosted for the event.

Announcing the new $1,000,000 race, Racing Manager Ali AlJAaffal said: “The $1,000,000 Abu Dhabi Gold Cup will be the most valuable turf mile race to be staged in the Gulf region in 2026 and the new race demonstrates the ambition and vision of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the determination to take horse racing in Abu Dhabi to new levels. 

"The Abu Dhabi Turf Club has long been an integral part of the globally respected horse racing scene in the UAE and we look forward to attracting a truly international cast of participants to the inaugural $1,000,000 Abu Dhabi Gold Cup, and to developing the race into one of the most prestigious turf mile contests in the world in the years to come.”

Classic and Group One-winning trainer Charlie Hills added his support for the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup saying: “Congratulations must go to the Abu Dhabi Turf Club for creating this new $1,000,000 contest and we have already nominated our Group One winner Cicero’s Gift for the race through the International Racing Bureau.

"There are not many opportunities of this magnitude for top-class milers at this time of year and I can see the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup quickly establishing itself as an important race in the international calendar as well as the Abu Dhabi Turf Club becoming an increasingly powerful force in world racing.”

The Abu Dhabi Turf Club in partnership with Churchill Downs Inc. have also revealed that the inaugural $1,000,000 Abu Dhabi Gold Cup will be linked to the Grade One Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, run over nine furlongs at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, May 2, 2026 and also worth $1,000,000.

The winner of the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup will receive an invitation from Churchill Downs Inc to run in the prestigious Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, with entry fees waived and a generous travel stipend also offered by the Abu Dhabi Turf Club to the connections of the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup winner.

Commenting on the link up between Churchill Downs Inc and the Abu Dhabi Turf Club, CDI Vice President of Racing Gary Palmisano said;

“Churchill Downs Inc is fully committed to encouraging international participation in our extensive portfolio of Grade One races and we are delighted to announce the new link up between the $1,000,000 Grade One Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic and the inaugural $1,000,000 Abu Dhabi Gold Cup which is the most valuable mile race in the Gulf region. 

"The Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic is one of five Grade One races on Kentucky Derby Day, annually one of the most spectacular days of sport in America broadcast to tens of millions of people throughout the world, and the association with the Abu Dhabi Turf Club is a demonstration of our commitment to international racing at the highest level."

The undercard on Abu Dhabi Gold Cup day will also feature valuable contests for both thoroughbreds and purebred Arabian highlighted by:

Group One – Alanudd Classic 2200 metres (1m3f) purebred Arabians

Group Two – Liwa Oasis 1400 metres (7f) purebred Arabians

Listed – Arabian Triple Crown R1 1600 metres (1m) purebred Arabians

Listed – Abu Dhabi Championship 2400 metres (1m4f) thoroughbred