This year’s running of the Bahrain International Trophy is set to feature horses representing six different racing jurisdictions as well as several of the world’s leading racing and breeding operations as a truly international field gathers to compete in Bahrain’s most valuable race.
The Group Two event, worth $1 million, takes place on November 15 and has attracted runners from Great Britain, Ireland, France and Japan, as well as the UAE and local Bahrain-trained horses.
The field includes last year’s winner, Spirit Dancer, along with this year’s Arlington Million winner, Nations Pride, along with the Japanese trained Group One winner, Killer Ability – the mount of British champion jockey, Oisin Murphy.
John and Thady Gosden are travelling Lead Artist over from Newmarket to Bahrain. The only three-year-old in the line-up, Lead Artist will be owner-breeder Juddmonte’s first runner in the Bahrain International Trophy. The colt won the Group Three Darley Stakes at Newmarket over 1m 1f (1,800m) on his last start – a victory that in the eyes of his trainers confirmed his suitability for the mile-and-a-quarter (2,000m) in Bahrain, and the Gosden team are hoping Lead Artist can bring them a change of luck.
Co-licence holder, Thady Gosden said: “The Bahrain International Trophy is an event that has gone from strength to strength over the past five years. To date, we have run three horses in the race, all of whom have finished second.
“Lead Artist is a horse who has always had a lot of natural speed, as such he was running over a mile and also over seven furlongs this summer. He won a Group Three at Goodwood over what is a pretty slick mile but he improved again for the step up in trip in the Darley Stakes and the fast ground in Bahrain should suit. It’s a race where you need a bit of pace.
“Kieran Shoemark will ride. He’s ridden him in all his starts, knows him very well, and he has had riding contracts in Bahrain before, so he knows the track well too.”
Looking ahead to the future, Thady Gosden sees other benefits for taking Lead Artist to Bahrain.
“Lead Artist is a three-year-old, whereas our previous runners were older horses, but he has not had a hard season,” he said. “He has been relatively lightly raced and travelling a horse when they’re turning from three to four can help them mature a lot, it can be a really good experience for them ahead of their four-year-old season.”
Among the more seasoned and well-travelled campaigners taking on Lead Artist are Nations Pride and Spirit Dancer. The only Godolphin-owned runner in the race and the mount of William Buick, Nations Pride has run three times this season, all in North America, most recently winning the Grade One Arlington Million in August.
Meanwhile, the winner of the 2023 Bahrain International Trophy, Spirit Dancer, returns to defend his crown, once again carrying the colours of his breeder, Sir Alex Ferguson, who co-owns the seven-year-old with Ged Mason and Peter Done. Spirit Dancer went on to win the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia, where the Japanese-trained Killer Ability finished second and the pair will meet again in Bahrain.
A Group One winner as a juvenile, the five-year-old Killer Ability is one of two Japanese-based horses running in the Bahrain International Trophy. He is joined by Yamanin Sympa, both are trained by Takashi Saito and both are sons of the late super stallion, Deep Impact.
They are the first Japanese horses to run in the race since Deidre in 2020, who was then based in the UK having been campaigned in Europe.
The British season ended on a high for trainer Owen Burrows and the Shadwell Estate operation with Anmaat springing a surprise in the Group One Champion Stakes at Ascot, and the pair team up again in the Bahrain International Trophy with Alflaila. The lightly raced, talented five-year-old won the Group Two York Stakes this summer for a second time and will be ridden by regular partner Jim Crowley.
Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s Victorious Racing have enjoyed a memorable year with notable successes in both Bahrain and Europe.
First, Isle Of Jura carried the familiar red and white colours to victory in the kingdom’s premier races before following up at Royal Ascot and then leading sprinter Bradsell took centre stage, winning Group One races in Britain and Ireland.
Representing Victorious Racing in the Bahrain International Trophy is Calif, trained in France by Carlos and Yann Lerner. The six-year-old has shown improved form this season including winning a Group One in Germany.
The Bahrain trained runners are headed by the improving four-year-old, Sovereign Spirit, who chased home Isle Of Jura in The King’s Cup in March, and was impressive in winning the feature race last Friday on the opening day of the season.
The sixth running of the Bahrain International Trophy – with Group Two status – will be the first staged under floodlights with a local off-time of 7.35pm.
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