It is with great appreciation to the UAE President Cup Series and the vision of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan that the Arabian Jockey Club is honored to announce that the 2025 UAE President Cup to be held at Preakness 150 in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 17, 2025, will now be the richest Arabian horse race in American history with the purse of the race increased from $150,000 to $200,000.
The UAE President Cup, which began in 1994, first partnered with the Arabian Jockey Club for a race in the United States in 2010. The 2024 renewal of the Grade 1 over 1 1/16 miles on dirt that was held at Gulfstream Park marked the return of Arabian horse racing to Florida for the first time in more than two decades. It produced an all-time classic for the breed with the filly RB Malexis winning a three-way photo finish against defending champion and reigning horse of the year Diamond Gem AA and 25-1 longshot WMA Smoke Signal.
There has previously been a UAE President Cup on the same card as the Preakness in 2012 (won by T M Fred Texas), 2020 (Paddys Day), 2021 (Paddys Day), 2022 (Hiab Al Zaman), and 2023 (Diamond Gem AA).
According to records from Equibase and Los Alamitos Race Course, the previous richest Arabian horse race in America was the 1994 Drinkers of the Wind Futurity at Los Alamitos in California with a purse of $178,600. The previous highest purse for the UAE President Cup was $150,000 when the race was held on Breeders’ Cup Friday at Santa Anita Park in 2013.
Nominations for the 2025 UAE President Cup close on May 6, 2025.