Envisioning the world’s richest horse race: In conversation with HRH Princess Nourah Al Faisal

In her first extended interview on the subject, Her Royal Highness Princess Nourah Bint Mohammed Al Faisal reflects on her role in the conceptualization of the Saudi Cup – the world’s richest horse race – and what it revealed about the work of building something at scale that means what it says. Appointed as a consultant by the Chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, in 2020, Princess Nourah was central to the early definition of the event’s identity – from the heritage dress code that has become one of its most recognized signatures to the integration of eleven newly formed cultural commissions into a single coherent guest experience, all the while navigating the operational pressures of COVID-19. In conversation, she speaks with unusual precision about authorship, cultural diplomacy and the difference between hosting an event and originating one – and makes a compelling case for why the Arabian horse belongs not at the margins of international racing, but at its centre. Wide-ranging and candid, this is a portrait of one of the more distinctive minds behind Saudi Arabia’s cultural transformation, and of an event that continues to redefine what excellence on the global sporting calendar can look like.