Bahrain Turf Series: Russell relishing having first runner in Middle East

Lucinda Russell, and her training partner Michael Scudamore are to break new ground by saddling their first runner in the Middle East.

Somewhat better known for her training of Grand National and Cheltenham Festival winners, Russell has revealed that Dain Ma Nut In will contest the imminent Bahrain Turf Series, which will be shown on Racing TV.

The four-year-old is the highest rated Flat horse in the yard, winning twice at York this year.

“Dain Ma Nut In has got some good form, including winning at York’s Ebor meeting," Russell said. "I think he will be competitive and the conditions will suit, so we are really looking forward to him running in the Bahrain Turf Series.

“It’s a great opportunity and lovely for the horse to spend his winter in the warmth of Bahrain rather than here in Scotland. We have had runners in Ireland and France but this will be our first runner in the Middle East. 

Russell tells us a bit more about Dain Ma Nut In 

“He’s owned by a lovely syndicate called Lamont Racing, who have been with us for a good few years. And while they have a few horses, it is all done on a very small budget and so for them to have a horse good enough to be accepted for the series and take them overseas is wonderful. They usually like their horses to run locally in Scotland, but in this instance, they are really excited to go and watch Dain Ma Nut In when he runs in Bahrain.”

Close to 30 horses are set to fly from the UK and Ireland to Bahrain this weekend ahead of the start of the Kingdom’s international season. The 2025-26 international programme runs from December to March culminating in the season finale, the King’s Cup Festival.

The action gets underway at the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club with the National Day Festival on 18 and 19 December and the opening two rounds of the Bahrain Turf Series.

The international programme caters for a range of horses and includes the handicaps within the Bahrain Turf Series as well as a number of Listed and Group races.

Several of the horses travelling are in the ownership of multiple partners or syndicates, including Oliver Show, trained by George Boughey for the Pompey Ventures syndicate, and Dain Ma Nut In, trained by Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore for Lamont Racing. 

Oliver Show will be returning to Bahrain after a productive visit last winter and Owen Haly, manager of the Pompey Ventures syndicate, is looking forward to it: “The programme in Bahrain is brilliant for owners like us. The Bahrain Turf Series gives horses such as Oliver Show an opportunity to compete for good prize money that they don’t get elsewhere and for the Pompey Ventures to have a horse running in the Middle East is great. Hats off to Bahrain, they’ve done a great job and come a long way in a short while.”

Haly reports that Oliver Show, who was runner-up in the 2025 Lincoln Handicap on his return to the UK in March, is in great form and ready for the flight: “Just recently George (Boughey) was saying how well physically he has done and some of that was down to his time in Bahrain. He wintered really well there and took his form in the UK to a new level when he was just touched off in the Lincoln. 

“Last season in Bahrain we started him off over 10 furlongs (2000m) and that stretched him a bit, he then ran really well over 9 furlongs (1800m) before finishing second in the Listed Al Methaq Mile. We are targeting the Al Riffa Cup over 6 furlongs (1200m) in early January for his first run and then we will assess our options, but it is probable he will rock up again in the Al Methaq Mile at the King’s Cup Festival.”

“Running off his current mark of 93, I would like to think Oliver Show can win a handicap off that. A victory would be great but, personally, I would also love to see him placed again in the Al Methaq Mile, that was a big day, and I am hoping to be there every time he runs.”

As well as a Scottish trained horse in Dain Ma Nut In, the visiting contingent includes three representatives from Ireland alongside horses from trainers who have become regular visitors to Bahrain. 

George Scott is sending a party of six, headed by last season’s Crown Prince’s Cup winner, Phantom Flight, George Baker is sending four horses, while Hugo Palmer and Boughey are sending two each.

Palmer’s pair includes the Chester and Bahrain specialist, Roman Dragon, while Boughey sends Spangled Mac, a winner in the Bahrain Turf Series last season, and the versatile Oliver Show. 

Bahrain’s international season gets underway at the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club during the National Day Festival on 18 and 19 December with the Listed HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Cup over one mile and the first two races in the Bahrain Turf Series.

Comprised of 12 races, with the final two events taking place at the King’s Cup Festival in March, the overall prize fund for the Bahrain Turf Series is $1 million USD, with a further $80,000 available in bonuses. A $40,000 bonus is awarded to the connections of the leading horse in each division, sprint and middle-distance.