As the Saudi Cup returns to Riyadh this week (13th-14th February), STRI Group is marking its seventh consecutive year working alongside the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA), providing specialist consultancy, agronomy and performance expertise for one of the world’s most prestigious racing events.
Delivering elite natural turf racing surfaces in an arid desert climate presents complex technical challenges. Extreme heat, low rainfall and high evapotranspiration rates place significant demands on soil profiles, turf species selection, irrigation design and surface management. STRI Group has supported JCSA since 2019 when we took on the full design and build of the first grass racing surface at the King Abdulaziz racecourse. Each year since then, we have operated as project managers as the track is reseeded and grown-in for each racing season.
The venue, King Abdulaziz racecourse, brings its own nuances in terms of the environmental conditions for establishing turf and the years of data gathered by STRI has helped to shape the bespoke soil and rootzone specifications, irrigation strategies, cultivar selections, and maintenance protocols to achieve consistent surface performance under extreme climatic conditions. Our work includes advising on turf establishment, drainage and irrigation infrastructure, soil moisture monitoring, firmness testing and identifying data-driven maintenance strategies. All of this maximises safety, consistency and resilience across the racing calendar.
Colin Lyons, General Manager of STRI Arabia, said, “Saudi Cup is always a standout moment in the racing calendar, but this year feels especially significant. Seven years into our partnership with JCSA, it’s a powerful demonstration of what long-term technical collaboration can achieve. Establishing and maintaining elite natural turf in desert conditions requires precision, continuous data collection and close technical support, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see the hard work pay off on the world stage.”
Saudi Cup week in 2026 is particularly significant, coinciding with the 41st Asian Racing Federation Conference, bringing together racing authorities, technical specialists and industry leaders from across the global racing community. The event highlights the role of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in advancing racecourse design, performance standards and equine welfare.
STRI Group continues to support major equine and sports infrastructure projects across Saudi Arabia and globally, applying data-led methodologies to deliver resilient, high-performing natural turf systems in some of the most challenging environments in sport.
