Landmark season ahead as Bahrain celebrates anniversary with first Group One

The upcoming 2026-27 racing season in Bahrain will celebrate a notable anniversary in the country’s sporting history and a landmark event with the staging of its first Group 1 race, as well as witnessing the introduction of increased opportunities for international runners. 

Ever since its establishment in 2019, the Bahrain International Trophy has been the country’s showpiece event and following its recent upgrade to Group 1 the 2026 running will see it become the first race of its status to be held in Bahrain. This year’s Bahrain International Trophy takes place on Friday 13 November at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club and, following the race’s promotion, the prize fund for the Group 1 ten-furlong (2000m) race has been increased to $1.5million (USD).  

In a further boost to the event, a new race has been added to the Bahrain International Trophy raceday. The Bahrain Long Distance Cup is an open handicap worth $400,000 (USD) run over 14-furlongs (2800m) and aims to attract talented staying horses from around the world. Also among the initiatives introduced for this upcoming season is an expansion of the popular Bahrain Turf Series to include a dedicated mile division, operating alongside the existing middle-distance and sprint programmes.

The upgrade to the Bahrain International Trophy and the new races are measures of the increasing quality and competitiveness of racing in Bahrain. Running from October to April and comprised of 30 fixtures, the 2026-27 season also marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club, from which the Bahrain Turf Club itself was born.

Yusuf Buheji, CEO of the Bahrain Turf Club said: “It is wonderful that we will celebrate 50 years of the Club in the very same season that Bahrain stages its first international Group 1 race. 

“The horse and horseracing are deeply embedded in our heritage. They are also integral to our vision for the future, a vision that is built around international collaboration, long-term development and an ambition to elevate Bahrain’s status on the global racing stage. The embodiment of this strategy is the Bahrain International Trophy, which with support from abroad and investment from within has gone from strength to strength.

“The rise of the Bahrain International Trophy has undoubtedly had a positive impact on the overall quality of racing in the Kingdom. This has enabled us to expand our international race programme, offering a broader range of opportunities within not only the Bahrain Turf Series but other races too.”  

Leading Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien, who saddled Galen to be runner-up to Royal Champion in the 2025 Bahrain International Trophy, endorsed the changes and said: 

"We have very much enjoyed the experience of having runners in Bahrain in recent years and the race programme there is always in our mind for suitable horses. It is fantastic that the Bahrain International Trophy has been upgraded to Group 1 status and the addition of the Bahrain Long Distance Cup to the same card is really exciting too. We are already thinking about which horses of ours will be suited to it and are excited to compete in them both this year and beyond."

As the race programme has evolved a core platform for international competition throughout the season has been established. The Bahrain Turf Series combined with an increasing number of premier and Pattern Races provides a competitive and diverse programme for horses across a range of distances and divisions.

For the 2026/27 season, the Bahrain Turf Series will increase to fourteen races with the introduction of a mile division alongside the existing sprint and middle-distance races. The series concludes at The King’s Cup Festival in March with three $100,000 handicaps. Alongside the Bahrain Turf Series, the premier race and Pattern programme continues to grow in stature.

Yusuf Buheji, CEO of the Bahrain Turf Club added: “Once again last season demonstrated the competitiveness and balance of racing in Bahrain, with success shared across both Bahraini trained and internationally trained runners, for example, there were six wins apiece in the Bahrain Turf Series. This depth of competition remains central to the continued development of horseracing in Bahrain.

“Horseracing has long held a special place within the country, and over the past five decades the Club has played a central role in the development of the sport both domestically and internationally. The fifty-year anniversary represents an opportunity to reflect on Bahrain’s proud racing heritage while continuing to look firmly towards the future.”

The launch of the 2026-27 season coincides with the Bahrain Turf Club’s annual sponsorship at the Debenhams July Festival at Newmarket. The Kingdom of Bahrain is the longest standing sponsor at the meeting having supported the Bahrain Trophy since 1991 and is also sponsor of the Group 2 Kingdom of Bahrain July Stakes and Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes on the opening day of the festival.

For more information on the upcoming season visit the Bahrain Turf Club website.