IHR Paku Alam Cup 2026 Features Local-Class Horse Racing Competition

Yogyakarta - The Indonesia’s Horse Racing (IHR) Paku Alam Cup 2026, organised by Pordasi, Sarga.co, and the Duchy of Pakualaman, features a local-class horse racing competition for the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) as an effort to revive public enthusiasm for the sport. Muchammad Munawir, Chairman of the Racing Commission of the Central Board of the Indonesian Equestrian Sports Association (PP Pordasi), stated that the DIY local class in the IHR Paku Alam Cup 2026 was a direct proposal from the Duchy of Pakualaman. “The purpose of having a local class is so that the horse racing ecosystem in Yogyakarta becomes enthusiastic again,” Munawir said at the Sultan Agung Horse Racing Field Complex in Bantul, Yogyakarta, on Sunday. According to him, all participants and horses in that class are required to be from DIY, so the presence of the class can increase community involvement while fostering regional pride in the sport of horse racing. “Horse owners are from DIY, so it is truly local DIY,” he emphasised. Munawir explained that five horses with owners who are native DIY residents competed in the local class. “There are Berkah Sari, Tarzan, Masih Rindu 99, Belova, and Putra Audy,” Munawir said. In addition to the local class, Munawir mentioned that the IHR Paku Alam Cup also competes for the Paku Alam Cup in the open Handicap 2,000-metre class, which holds the status of a rotating trophy. He added that the trophy can be permanently owned by a participant if they manage to win it three times consecutively. “So if he wins three times in a row, it becomes a permanent trophy,” he said. “We will hold a total of eight championships in collaboration with Pordasi; this Paku Alam Cup is the fourth,” said Nugdha. He considers the IHR to be part of an effort to develop national horse racing while reviving the equestrian tradition in Indonesia. “We aim to revive the equestrian tradition as well as ignite the spirit of horse racing in Indonesia,” he said. According to him, the IHR event not only presents a sports competition but also carries a sport entertainment experience concept that combines matches, cultural values, and entertainment, thereby providing a more complete experience for the public. “Besides preserving the horse racing tradition, we are also developing its potential to become a source of national pride,” Nugdha said. Nugdha mentioned that the IHR Paku Alam Cup is the first collaboration with the Duchy of Pakualaman, with 155 horses from 10 provinces participating and competing in 18 races with varying numbers of participants in each contested class. “Participants come from West Sumatra, DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, DIY, East Java, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, and North Sulawesi,” he explained. Nyi Mas Lurah Adyaksa Putri, a representative of Puro Pakualaman, said that the equestrian tradition has long been part of the history of the Duchy of Pakualaman and continues to be preserved to this day. “Pakualaman has also held modern horse racing competitions since 2013, but they were temporarily halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said. According to her, the collaboration with Sarga.co and Pordasi in organising the IHR has resulted in a more modern concept, thereby bringing the sport closer to the younger generation.