Six cups decided in 'Laqaya' category at Crown Prince Camel Festival
Saudi and Emirati camels dominated as six cups were awarded in the 'Laqaya' category finals at the 2026 Crown Prince Camel Festival.
Key Takeaways
AISix cups were awarded in the finals of the 'Laqaya' category at the 2026 Crown Prince Camel Festival, with Saudi and Emirati camels taking the lead. The camel 'Taraf' stole the spotlight by recording the fastest time and winning the 'Bakar - Open' cup, marking the conclusion of the festival's second official category.
Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, Chairman of the Saudi Camel Federation, presented the cups to the winning camel owners in the 'Laqaya' category, as well as the two 'Saudi Production' cups, during the eighth edition of the festival held at the historic Taif Camel Racecourse.
'Taraf', owned by Saudi Mohammed Batshan Al-Mahamid, posted the best time in the cup heats, clinching the main race and the 'Bakar - Open' cup with a time of 6:07.873 minutes.
Emirati camels secured three consecutive cups: 'Maroud', owned by Hamad Al-Amri, won the 'Qadaan - Open' cup in 6:09.148 minutes; 'Taba', owned by Manaa Al-Shamsi, took the 'Bakar - General' cup in 6:11.048 minutes; and 'Multaa', also owned by Al-Shamsi, claimed the 'Qadaan - General' cup in 6:13.973 minutes.
In the 'Saudi Production' cups, 'Al-Misk', owned by Abdulhadi Al-Marri, won the 'Bakar - General' cup in 6:14.138 minutes, while 'Kafo', owned by Ali Al-Marri, took the 'Qadaan - General' cup with a time of 6:13.887 minutes.
Today's competitions featured 18 races: six general, six open, and six for the Crown Prince Festival cups. In the morning session, Saudi camels won seven out of 12 races, while Qatari and Emirati camels each claimed two victories, and Kuwaiti camels took one win.
Prince Fahd bin Jalawi also crowned the winners of the 'Mazayin' beauty contest, which was included in the festival program for the first time this year.
The eighth edition of the Crown Prince Camel Festival is held under the patronage of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, organized by the Saudi Camel Federation, and runs until September 13, with total prize money exceeding 50 million riyals (SAR).