Bahrain International Trophy: a guide to all the possible runners

Sir Alex Ferguson described Spirit Dancer’s victory in the Bahrain International Trophy last year as his best moment in racing. And now the man formerly used to retaining Cups and championships with Manchester United, hopes the horse he bred will again keep all-comers at bay when he defends his title.

It seems the odds are again stacked against the horse carrying red-and-white colours, with such as Gosden, O’Brien and Appleby again taking aim at the race, while challengers from France and Japan, not to mention the home team, will also be waiting for him.

The $1 million mile-and-a-quarter (2000 metres) contest goes from strength to strength, and why wouldn’t it? The galloping nature of the track at Sakhir provides a fair test for one and all, with the draw of little consequence. Previous winners have been drawn high and low.

Bahrain Turf Club pays for horse travelling expenses and provides accommodation for connections free of charge. When you dangle carrots like that, it is hardly surprising that people with credible challengers take notice.

The big race will be shown live on Racing TV on Friday ahead of the three-day November Meeting at Cheltenham getting under way. Here’s a guide to all the possible runners. The draw will be made on Wednesday.

Age: 5. Trainer: Owen Burrows. Odds: --

Alflaila is a habitual slow starter but seven wins from 17 starts (including four victories in Group races) shows that there is not much wrong with him at the business end, and he will be running over his optimum trip on Friday with ground conditions to suit.

He was an intended runner in the 2022 edition of this race but missed out after suffering a fractured cannon bone, so there is unfinished business.

The son of Dark Angel has shown even better form since returning from that setback, landing two renewals of the Sky Bet Stakes at York plus twice running creditably at the highest level behind Auguste Rodin.

He disappointed in the Juddmonte International at his beloved York on his latest start, although he was particularly sluggish from the stalls that day and just didn’t seem himself. Having been freshened up, he must enter calculations, although his supporters might want to look away when the stalls fly open. 

Age: 5. Trainer: Francis Henri Graffard 

The French-trained mare is tremendously reliable, winning six of her 14 races and never being beaten more than two lengths. There has, admittedly, been an element of her being exceptionally placed, with Francis Henri Graffard resisting Group One assignments along her journey.

Indeed, her latest run, in the Daniel Wildenstein over a mile at Longchamp, was the first time she had dipped her toe into Group Two waters. Typically, she gave it a good go, beating all bar Ramadan despite the trip being a bare minimum for her these days.

Andromede should be suited by going back up in distance, plus has shown her effectiveness on a range of ground. And the only time she’s raced outside her native France, she won in runaway fashion in Germany.

The daughter of Sea The Stars is likely to again give her all, but the figures and ratings suggest she is up against it. 

Age: 5. Trainer: Carlos & Yann Lerner 

Having been trained in Germany, Bahrain and France, Calif has already seen various training establishments around the world.

He was in the care of Bahrain-based Fawzi Nass when running in last year’s International Trophy and hopes were high that he would deliver a home win, but he could finish only a never-nearer ninth after being set a lot to do from off the pace.

Calif showed his running that day to be wrong when a close third behind Spirit Dancer and Killer Ability in Neom Turf Cup on his next start (such as Luxembourg behind) and his subsequent efforts have included a win in the Group One Grosser Dallmayr-Preis at Munich, gained at the main expense of 2023 German Derby winner Fantastic Moon.

His well-beaten fourth in the Prix Dollar at Longchamp last time tempers enthusiasm, although he did finish a place ahead of subsequent Champion Stakes winner Anmaat that afternoon. 

Age: 5. Trainer: Haider Ebrahim 

The “local” runners have been out of luck in the International Trophy since Simsir gained a famous success in 2020. He sprung a surprise that day and it will be a similar story if Goemon, fends off a strong raiding party.

He spent his early days with Roger Varian and then Kevin Philippart De Foy, but does have three wins at Sakhir on his CV, including two over course and distance, plus was third in last year’s Group One Bahrain Gold Cup. However, it has been a year since he last got his head in front.

He’s not been in acti

on since his sixth to Isle Of Jura in the Al Khalifa Cup back in March, although that may be a blessing as his record when fresh is encouraging. Fitness is unlikely to be an issue but he’s surely going to need several of the principal players to fluff their lines if he’s to make a serious impact. 

Age: 5. Trainer: Takashi Saito 

Japanese-trained runners have been hoovering up big international prizes in recent years, although their elusive quest for an Arc winner goes on and their big team for the Breeders’ Cup this month all came up short.

Japan’s only previous International Trophy runner has been the high-class Deirdre, but she ran below expectations in 2020. This time, they are double-handed with Killer Ability being joined by Yamanain Sympa.

Killer Ability was a Group One winner in his native country at the end of 2021, when he landed the Hopeful Stakes, but the bay has had his limitation exposed time and again since then, for all that he split Spirit Dancer and Calif in the Neom Turf Cup earlier in the year.

He finished about half a length and a couple of places behind Yamanain Sympa when they met at Nakayama last time. 

Age: 3. Trainer: John & Thady Gosden 

Team Gosden certainly would not be winning this prize out of turn because their three previous runners in the race – Turgenev (2019), Global Giant (2020) and Israr (2023) – have all finished second.

Lead Artist is the youngest horse in the line-up and carries the silks of Juddmonte. He is bred in the purple, being a son out of Dubawi out of a well-related dam who herself was by Frankel.

Unraced as a two-year-old, he has been making up for lost this this campaign, winning half of his six races. Highlights have been his victories in two Group Three contests: the Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood in early August plus Darley Stakes at Newmarket last month.

That latter success, gained at the main expense of Cambridgeshire winner Liberty Lane and stablemate Peace Man, represented a career-best, with the step up to nine furlongs (1800 metres) clearly unlocking more ability.

The good mover has twice been a non-runner on account of soft ground, but that will not be a concern on Friday. Moving up another furlong should be no bother and, open to more improvement, he looks sure to be in the thick of things. 

Age: 5. Trainer: Charlie Appleby 

The globetrotting Nations Pride has wowed racing fans all over the world, winning Group One races in Germany, America and Canada, while also gaining victories in England and Dubai.

Most of those triumphs have come over Friday’s distance, and on a variety of surfaces. He has been a great credit to Charlie Appleby and Godolphin, winning ten of his 18 races and scooping almost £2.7 million in prize money.

He was an emphatic winner of the Arlington Million on his latest start, but the one niggle must be his subdued effort in last year’s Bahrain International, where he trailed home seventh, well adrift of Spirit Dancer and Point Lonsdale, who he meets again.

However, he’s had a three-month break this time around, whereas last year he had only been off a few weeks since having to dig deep to win in Canada. When returning from a break of 63 days or more, his record reads 1111131.

Godolphin struck with Dubai Future in 2022, although the closest Appleby has come to scooping this prize was when Barney Roy was runner-up in 2021. 

Age: 5. Trainer: Aidan O’Brien 

The versatile Point Lonsdale seeks to go two places better than last year, although he may have to settle for another leading support role.

He made much of the running last year, when equipped with first-time cheekpieces, but was unable to resist the late challenges of Spirit Dancer and Israr, despite sticking willingly to his task.

This year, minus any headgear, he has taken his Group-race winning tally to five by landing the Ormonde Stakes at Chester (his first success since winning at the meeting the previous year) and in recent starts been reinvented as a stayer, finishing third to Sweet William in the Doncaster Cup over 2m 2f (3600 metres) on his latest start.

Aidan O’Brien can pull rabbits out of the hat, but dropping Point Lonsdale back to this trip away from soft ground is not an obvious move. He seems likely to be vulnerable where it matters most. 

Age: 4. Trainer: Jaber Ramadhan 

This gelding and looks the main hope of the home team and has clearly made big strides since being beaten in a handicap at Southwell off a mark of 66 in the spring of last year.

He subsequently chalked up three handicap wins for Andrew Balding after that Southwell reverse, reaching a rating of 84, before being switched to the yard of Jaber Ramadhan.

Sovereign Spirit was busy at Sakhir at the start of the year, running as well as he has ever done when beating all bar Isle Of Jura in the Al Khalifa Cup in early March.

The winner, of course, kept up his winning streak when returning to British shores, thumping Goliath, the subsequent King George winner, in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Local knowledge will serve him well, and that latest run at least puts him in the conversation. 

Age: 7. Trainer: Richard Fahey 

Manchester United have never been quite the same since Sir Alex Ferguson departed as manager. Gum sales may also have been affected because he seems to do a lot less anxious chewing of it when at the races.

Perhaps that is not surprising when so many of the horses he is involved with have been success stories, including Spirit Dancer, who was bred by him and Niall McLoughlin in 2016.

Spirit Dancer was something of a slow starter, winning only two of his first 14 races but he’s thrived on his racing and he capped a tremendous campaign last year by scooping this prize in decisive style.

Ferguson and his co-owners were celebrating again three months later when their pride and joy landed the Neom Turf Cup at Riyadh, scooping another £944,000 in the process.

The Sheema Classic in Dubai the following month proved a bridge too far, and he was unable to make any impact behind Lead Artist in the Darley Stakes at Newmarket last time, having been off track for 196 days. That did look something of a stepping stone towards Bahrain, but it’s probably asking a lot of him to become the first back-to-back winner. 

Age: 4. Trainer: Haider Ebrahim 

The Mohammed Khalid Abdulrahim-owned colt will be having his first run for Haider Ebrahim, having previously been trained by Jessica Harrington.

Much will depend on whether Ebrahim can revive the fortunes of a colt who has been more or less anonymous since his fine fourth in the 2023 Derby, when the first three home were Auguste Rodin, King Of Steel and White Birch.

Sprewell failed to reproduce that form when sixth in the Irish Derby the following month and disappointed in his two races in the autumn, including when dropped to Listed company.

This year has passed by without him and it remains to be seen how much ability he retains. His two career wins were achieved in the mud, although the ground was on the quick side when he ran so well at Epsom. 

Age: 6. Trainer: Takashi Saito 

Japan’s second challenger will stand out from the crowd as he’s a grey, just like Lord Glitters, who landed the 2021 running of the International Trophy.

He’s not blessed with the acceleration of that star, though, and it will be a surprise if the son of Deep Impact hits the jackpot.

The formbook suggests he and Killer Ability, who also travels over from Japan, have similar claims. 

Age: 4. Trainer: Jaber Ramadhan 

He’s the second string for trainer Ramadhan and it will be a shock if he can make his presence felt, let alone take the spoils.

Young Ireland won only one of his 18 races when trained by Jim Bolger – a maiden in the mud at Cork – and failed to make much impression when tried in Group Two/Three company.

The gelding has not set the world alight in Bahrain, either, trailing home a well-beaten sixth to Isle Of Jura in the Al Kalifa Cup when last seen in action. 

Spirit Dancer was a commanding winner last year and has no doubt been primed for his defence, but others are preferred. Lead Artist is the up-and-coming force in the line-up, and he could well give the Gosdens a deserved triumph in the race after the near-misses of Turgenev, Global Giant and Israr. However, he is up against a globetrotting star in NATIONS PRIDE, who was surely not at his best 12 months ago. He should be much fresher this time and can put the record straight. Alflaila will also be a big player if getting away like something on terms. 

1 NATIONS PRIDE. 2 LEAD ARTIST. 3 ALFLAILA.