International field assembles for HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup

Bahrain’s international season continues on Thursday evening with a meeting of high-class, competitive racing featuring runners from the UAE, the UK and Ireland lining up against locally trained horses. 

The principal race is the HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup supported by the penultimate round in the Bahrain Turf Series, with fiercely competitive races in both the sprint and middle-distance divisions.

The HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup (sponsored by Bapco Energies), a $135,000 Listed race run over 2200m, has attracted a Godolphin representative from the UAE in Bedouin Prince, trained by Charlie Appleby. The lightly raced son of Ghaiyyath steps up in both trip and class after finishing runner-up in a strong race at Meydan last month. 

Aiming to keep the prestigious prize at home are Cracksking and Calif. Trained by Daniel and Claire Kubler for Al Adiyat Racing, the six-year-old Cracksking has been in cracking form this season, going down by only a short-head in the Crown Prince’s Cup last time. The extra 200m of this race will suit him well and he will have the assistance of jockey Tom Marquand. 

Meanwhile Calif, trained by Fawzi Nass for Victorius Forever, is looking to rediscover his best form. Twelve months ago, he finished second in the Neom Turf at the Saudi Cup meeting, but he has struggled to hit those heights since. 

Adding further international spice to the race is Dain Ma Nut In, who became the first Scottish trained winner in Bahrain following his impressive victory in the Anchorman Cup, part of the Bahrain Turf Series. Owned by Lamont Racing, an enthusiastic syndicate based in Scotland, Dain Ma Nut In is going up in grade to Listed company as he bids to challenge some of the sport’s best-known owners and break new ground for training partnership Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore, who are more familiar with big race success over Jumps in the UK. 

Other international runners in the race include a former winner over hurdles in Gordon Grey, making his debut for trainer George Baker, and Nepal, trained by George Scott, once again ridden by Rosie Jessop, who made all the running to win on the four-year-old last month.

With just two rounds to go, things are hotting up in the race to top the sprint division table in the Bahrain Turf Series. Seven of the top ten horses on the leaderboard are set to run in the Al Sakhir Cup (sponsored by Texel Air) over the minimum trip of 1000m and victory for any of them would put them in with a leading chance of winning the $40,000 bonus prize. 

The weights are headed by Another Baar (trained by Adrian Keatley) and Kendall Roy (Katie McGivern), both already winners of Bahrain Turf Series races this season, while the ever-green Roman Dragon and consistent Dubai Bling both represent Hugo Palmer. Desert Cop (George Baker), Rocking Ends (Tom Clover) and Commanche Falls (Michael Dods) are the other contenders in the frame, each still in with a chance of winning the bonus. 

With two seconds from two starts, Michael Dods’s Commanche Falls has been in great form in Bahrain. His other horse based in the Kingdom, Northern Express, has not yet found his groove but he switches to the middle-distance division of the Bahrain Turf Series on Thursday in search of better luck. 

The Bahrain Vision Cup (sponsored by Beyon), run over 1800m, is the penultimate round in the middle-distance division of the Bahrain Turf Series. Stepping up in trip from 1600m, Northern Express is the highest rated of three international runners in the race. Cloud Seeker, trained by Andrew Slattery, has strong claims based on two excellent efforts in the Series to date, and he is joined by fellow Irish runner, Slieve Binnian (David Marnane). 

Al Adiyat Racing enjoyed their first winner in the Bahrain Turf Series at the Crown Prince’s Cup Festival courtesy of Up The Pace, trained by Daniel and Claire Kubler, and the same training partnership hold a strong hand in the Bahrain Vision Cup. Top weight Westridge, the mount of leading Bahrain rider Ebrahim Nader, has shown improved form on each of his three runs this season, and Lord Montague, the mount of Tom Marquand, was an impressive winner on his Bahrain debut last month.

The climax to Bahrain’s international season is the King’s Cup Festival, two evenings of high-class racing held on 5th and 6th March, featuring the $400,000 Group 3 King’s Cup and including the final rounds in the Bahrain Turf Series.