HORSERACING – Bahraini jockey Ebrahim Nader was crowned champion jockey of the 2025-26 season at Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club (REHC).
Nader took the coveted title for the second time in his career as the curtain came down on another exciting campaign.
Last year, Nader claimed his first crown with a total of 31 winners, while this season, he rode very nearly three times as many winners as his closest rival, finishing the season on 47 winners from 188 rides.
The runner-up in the jockeys’ championship was British rider Benoit De La Sayette, with 16 winners from 125 rides.
De La Sayette enjoyed a successful first season in Bahrain with the highlight being his victory in His Majesty the King’s Cup on Phantom Flight, competing for owners Victorious Forever.
Bahrain’s Abdulla Faisal came third amongst jockeys this season, taking 14 wins from 81 rides.
In the owners’ championship, Victorious Forever had to settle for second with the title once again going to Al Mohamediya Racing with 54 winners, accumulated from 523 runners across the 29 fixtures across the season that started in October.
Amongst Mohamediya’s best horses was Hi Royal, who was never out of the first three in six starts, winning twice, including a victory to round off his campaign in the season-finale in the care of new trainer Ali Abdulmajeed.
Victorious Forever posted 24 wins from 174 runners this campaign, while Al Afoo Racing finished third with 21 winners from 221 runners.
In a closely fought battle for trainers’ championship, Fawzi Nass won the title with 32 winners from 212 runners, ahead of Jaber Ramadhan on 29 winners and Ali Abdulmajeed on 28.
One particularly memorable win for Nass was that of Calif, so often a flagbearer for Bahrain in international races, in the His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup – the race named in honour of Calif’s owner. It was Calif’s first win since landing a Group One in Germany in 2024.
Following their move last autumn, Daniel and Claire Kubler had a successful first season in Bahrain, finishing fifth in the trainers’ championship with 18 winners.
The 2026-27 season at REHC is scheduled to get underway in October.
&uuid=(email))