RB Kingmaker claimed the Belgian leg of the UAE President’s Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses at Waregem Racecourse, outpacing a competitive field of 11 elite horses in the Group 2 contest that carried a prize purse of €250,000. The victory adds to the four-year-old’s growing record, which already includes the UAE President’s Cup title at Abu Dhabi in 2024 and the Group 1 Qatar International Stakes at Goodwood earlier this season, according to the Emirates News Agency. Owned by Helal Alalawi, the horse is trained by Elisabeth Bernard Jean-François and was partnered by jockey Christophe Soumillon for the latest success in the 33rd edition of the international series.
The Emirates News Agency reported that the Belgium leg marked the 11th stop on the current calendar and featured a strong contingent of previous round winners alongside horses that had performed well throughout the season. RB Kingmaker headed the Emirati challenge in the 2,200-metre turf event for Purebred Arabians aged four and older, while Maqbool represented Yas Horse Racing Management after finishing second in the Netherlands leg. The €250,000 purse represented the largest in the history of Arabian horse racing in Belgium, the Emirates News Agency added.
Established in 1994, the UAE President’s Cup series aims to promote the Purebred Arabian horse on the global stage and support owners and breeders in preserving its heritage, the official President Cup website shows. The competition has grown into one of the largest and most valuable events of its kind, with legs staged across multiple continents and attracting participants from leading international studs. In the current 33rd edition, earlier stops have produced notable results, including RB Burn The Bill becoming the first filly to win the Italian leg at San Siro in June and Joe Star taking the Netherlands title in July, according to reports from the Emirates News Agency.
The Higher Organising Committee of the UAE President’s Cup has overseen the expansion of the series, which now includes nearly 20 stops worldwide and continues to draw large crowds and high-level competition across Europe. In Belgium the race brought together contenders with proven form on turf, building on the momentum from prior legs where winners such as Wasmy Al Khalediah in Sweden and Eljas du Bienn in the United Kingdom had already stamped their class. Faisal Al Rahmani, Secretary-General of the Higher Organising Committee, has attended multiple legs this season, including the Italian and Russian stops, where he joined local officials in crowning the victors, WAM data shows.
RB Kingmaker’s performance in Belgium reinforced the strong Emirati presence in the 33rd edition, following consistent showings by UAE-owned or -bred horses across the calendar. The series has elevated the profile of Purebred Arabian racing in markets where the breed has traditionally competed against larger fields of Thoroughbreds, according to the official President Cup website. Organisers continue to schedule events that align with major national race days, as seen with the German leg held during the 157th German Derby weekend and the Swedish stop coinciding with National Day celebrations.
Similar races this year have produced tight finishes and historic milestones, such as the first filly winner in Italy and multiple repeat champions in certain legs, figures from the Emirates News Agency indicate. The Belgian contest concluded with a trophy presentation that included representatives from the UAE Embassy and the Belgian Arabian Horse Association, in line with the protocol observed at other European venues. The ongoing calendar will next move to Turkey before returning to the UAE for the final events later in the year, the Higher Organising Committee has confirmed.
