Middle East
Trojan's Saudi arm wins Qiddiya's $1.1bn racecourse
By Staff Writer | 24 July 2026
Qiddiya Investment Company has awarded a SR 4.3bn contract, about $1.1bn, to build a vast new racecourse on the edge of Riyadh. The main construction contract goes to Taj Dhabi, the Saudi subsidiary of the UAE contractor Trojan.
The venue will cover 1.3 million square metres on the outskirts of Riyadh, with a permanent 21,000-seat grandstand that can expand to hold up to 70,000 spectators for major race meetings.
It will feature the Middle East's first straight-mile turf course, a 2.2-kilometre main turf track and a 2.4-kilometre inner dirt track built to international standards, along with a 110-metre central parade ring and a dedicated equine hospital.
The racecourse is set to become the permanent home of the Saudi Cup, the Group 1 contest with a $20m purse that is billed as the world's richest horse race.
This venue reflects Qiddiya Investment Company's ambition to set new global benchmarks.
Abdullah Aldawood, managing director, Qiddiya Investment Company
Part of Qiddiya City
The racecourse sits within Qiddiya City, one of the Public Investment Fund's giga-projects on the outskirts of Riyadh, alongside the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, a motorsports circuit, theme parks and a performing-arts centre. The programme is central to Vision 2030's push into sport, tourism and entertainment.
A test for the contractor
The award is another large main-contract win for a Gulf contractor on a flagship Saudi venue, and it puts Taj Dhabi, and its parent Trojan, on one of the Kingdom's most watched sites.
Sports venues of this scale bring demanding programmes and specialist systems, from turf and drainage to the equine hospital and broadcast infrastructure, all delivered against fixed event dates. For the contractor, a landmark racecourse is both a showcase and a test of delivery.
With the contract signed, site works can begin on what will become one of the region's largest equestrian venues.