City House won the $80,000 Al Hawar Cup, sponsored by Cebarco, last night as the 2024-25 Bahrain Turf Series continued as part of the two-day Crown Prince’s Cup Festival at Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club (REHC) in Sakhir.
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, was in attendance, along with His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sport chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and other high-ranking officials.
A huge cheer from his syndicate of owners, Fox and Badger Racing, greeted City House as trainer George Scott and jockey Callum Shepherd maintained their remarkable run of form in the kingdom.
Scott’s improving City House defied top weight to win the Al Hawar Cup, and in doing so the improving four-year-old announced himself as a horse to follow, not only in Bahrain but also back in the UK this coming summer.
When City House arrived in Bahrain in December, he started off in local races, but following an impressive success a fortnight ago over 1,400m, Scott deemed him ready to transition to the competitive Bahrain Turf Series.
City House proved he was more than ready for the challenge, despite having to shoulder top weight and dropping back in trip to 1,200m for round four of the sprint division in the Bahrain Turf Series.
Brought with a strong run down the centre of the track by Callum Shepherd, City House ran down fellow international visitor Walbank, trained by George Boughey and ridden by Billy Loughnane, to land the spoils, much to the delight of his enthusiastic owners, Fox and Badger Racing, who had travelled over from the UK and Dubai to be on track.
Both Scott and Shepherd are boasting a higher than 50 per cent strike-rate in Bahrain this season, and winning rider Shepherd was clearly impressed. “He is a horse that has really thrived out here,” he said. “Because we were coming back in trip it took me to halfway to come on the bit, but then he travelled really well and won in good style.
“George has again identified the right horse to bring to Bahrain and it is nice to make that transition from local races to the Turf Series and impressive to do that under top weight.
“We now look forward not only to the rest of the campaign here, but also back home in the UK, as you can imagine him being suited to the hurly burly of those big handicaps. He showed a great attitude and that’s becoming his trademark.”
A little bit of history was made In the Anchorman Cup, sponsored by Howden, yesterday, when Hussain Asghar became the first graduate of the Bahrain Jockey Academy to win a Bahrain Turf Series race.
The 23-year-old was on board Merlin’s Beard in the 15-runner middle-distance division of the Bahrain Turf Series and he led home a one-two for owner Al Mohamediya Racing.
The winner is trained by Osama Hashim and the runner-up, Soldier’s Empire, is trained by Marco Botti and ridden by Neil Callan.
Two more international horses filled the minor placings in Mr Alan and Oliver Show, trained by George Boughey.
Both Merlin’s Beard and Mr Alan had been placed in an earlier round behind Jack Channon’s horse Majestic, who this time finished unplaced.
The next round of the Bahrain Turf Series takes place on February 21.
Another exciting eight-race card is scheduled to take place today at REHC, to be headlined by the HRH The Crown Prince’s Cup, sponsored by Cebarco, 2,000m Listed race, which offers $150,000 in total winnings.
Seven horses are in the fray, including three owned by Victorious, and others by Al Mohamediya Racing, Al Afoo Racing, Godolphin, and Lindsay Laroche.
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