Packed crowds flock to Friday's races at the AlUla Camel Cup 2024

- Qatari stable Hijin Alshahaneyah earn wins in both Jidhaa races and one of the Thanaya events.

- The second edition of the AlUla Camel Cup concludes on Saturday.

AlUla, Saudi Arabia, 26. April 2024: The third and penultimate day of this year's AlUla Camel Cup saw packed crowds roar on the competitors at the Mughayra Heritage Sports Village racetrack during an incredible day of racing.

Two categories of races took place on Friday, the 6km Jidhaa and Thanaya 8km, with each category featuring two races. The total prize pool for the day amounted to SAR25.6 million.

The big winners of the day were the Qatari stable Hijin Alshahaneyah, with the first Jidhaa race seeing Aliyah claim victory with a time of 9:37.768 minutes. However, Hijin Alshahaneyah didn't stop there.

The second Jidhaa race was won by the stable's camel Ashaab thanks to a time of 9:44.772 minutes – but further joy ensued for Hijin Alshahaneyah as they also claimed second and fourth place.

Friday's first Thanaya race was won by Al Shaheniyah from the Hijin Al Asifah stable from the UAE with a time of 13:08.076 minutes.

Hijin Alshahaneya though were back to winning ways in the second Thanaya race, as their camel Mashkoor earned glory in 13:10.480 minutes to complete a phenomenal Friday in AlUla.

First place in each of Friday's four races shared a SAR3.5 million prize pool. Second, meanwhile, shared a SAR1 million prize pool, while the third placed finishers divided a SAR500,000 sum.

The AlUla Camel Cup 2024 concludes on Saturday with the highly prestigious Hail and Zmoul races, both 8km in distance, which will see the winners claim the competition's main trophies – and SAR7.5 million each.

In addition to the racing action, Saturday will also feature the AlUla Design Awards AlAjilah Edition ceremony at the Heritage Village, a prestigious recognition of outstanding creations inspired by AlUla's cultural, natural and artistic heritage. The winning camel covers (AlAjilah) will be proudly showcased in the Heritage Village.

The AlUla Camel Cup, which celebrated its inaugural edition last year, provides a mix of sport, culture, heritage, tradition, and more, and evolves a beloved sporting tradition that has thrived in Saudi Arabia since the 7th century.

Sporting events such as the AlUla Camel Cup are instrumental in the Kingdom's transformation journey, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, and with AlUla's commitment to responsible and sustainable development.

The second edition of the AlUla Camel Cup is organised by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) as part of the AlUla Moments calendar, in partnership with the Saudi Camel Racing Federation (SCRF).