There are few certainties in racing, but here’s one: UK prize money is not at a level most in the sport are happy with. It’s a constant gripe of trainers, jockeys and owners. Happily, though, this great sport is not just confined to one small island in Europe – it’s global, and over the past 20 years, this has progressively included the Middle East.
The Dubai World Cup Carnival will turn 19 in January, while the new kid on the block, the Saudi Cup, will host its third edition in February.
Sitting between them is Bahrain, which hosted its first international race in November 2019.
Compared with sprawling Saudi and Dubai’s home in the UAE, Bahrain is tiny, a Gulf island with a population of less than two million. It has only one racetrack, but is punching above its weight, having hosted two successful editions of the Bahrain International Trophy so far.
The 2020 renewal, won by the Fawzi Nass-trained Simsir, attracted five G1 winners, including Irish Derby hero Sovereign, Japanese star Deirdre and popular grey globetrotter Lord Glitters (see video below).
Now, those behind the island’s Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club, are out to capitalize on European support, having recently announced the Bahrain Turf Series.
Starting on December 10 and culminating in a finals day on March 4, there will be ten races, with a minimum value of £50,000, including £30,000 to each winner.
Entries and declarations are free, and priority is given to overseas runners, while two places per race are reserved for locals.
The idea is to encourage overseas trainers to set up satellite yards in the Kingdom, although six of the ten races are also open to those flying in, referred to as ‘guests’. In addition, flights are included for horses, while connections are entitled to a £12,500 expenses voucher, on a reimbursement basis.
It’s an attractive proposition. So much so that British Classic-winning trainers Andrew Balding and Hugo Palmer are considering sending runners, while George Baker, who has saddled winners in France, Switzerland and Dubai, has already committed to Bahrain and has a 5-year plan.
“As a team, and in company with our owners, we will most certainly be supporting the upcoming Bahrain Turf Series,” says the trainer, who is currently based at Robins Farm on the Surrey-Sussex border. “It’s an exciting initiative in a burgeoning racing jurisdiction and we are looking forward to being involved.
“We also plan to build a long-term commitment to the Kingdom through the setting up of a satellite yard at the racecourse.”
While innovations with an international programme generally make things tougher for locally-based trainers, they do appear to be supporting the new venture. British expat handler Allan Smith has been Bahrain champion more times than he can remember - “it might be 14” - and he likes the idea, although suspects it won’t change his operation too much.
“I think it’s great that Bahrain are trying to get international competition, and I like the format of the series,” he says. “[In terms of the horses we buy] it wouldn’t make too much difference to us; we are generally looking for that type of horse at the sales anyway.”
New challenge
Smith’s main title rival in 2021-22 is likely to once again be Hesham Al Haddad, who topped the table in 2020 and 2021. He sees the series as a launchpad to improve racing in Bahrain as a whole.
“It will encourage the local owners to invest in purchasing better-quality horses that would raise the bar for local racing,” he says. “Putting Bahrain on the flat-racing map is another plus.”
Al Afoo Stable have had plenty of success, both in Bahrain and Dubai, with Nine Below Zero one of their more useful acquisitions, having won a G3 at Meydan after being purchased for just 49,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Horses In Training Sale. Their Bahrain trainer, Mohammed Saeed, is enthusiastic in his support of the series.
“It’s a new challenge,” he says. “We are very keen to participate as prize money and the bonuses are very attractive, plus they are handicaps, and a lot can happen in these handicaps races.
“We have couple of horses who are qualified to run in the series and at the top of our shopping list for the October sales are horses rated between 90 and 100, over various trips, who will be targeted at the series.”
Shopping for runners
With interest at the HIT sales from Qatar, plus increasingly Saudi, the U.S. and Australia, competition for suitable horses is likely to be strong, as Saeed concludes. “Hopefully we can find the right horses, as they are difficult to get these days.”
Fawzi Nass, long a flagbearer for Bahrain racing thanks to his G1 successes in Dubai with Krypton Factor and Salute The Soldier, has already been shopping. He went to 180,000 guineas to secure the ex-Sir Michael Stoute-trained Tawaareq, a 3-year-old son of Shamardal, at the Tattersalls August sale, saying: “I think he’ll handle the fast turf out there and there are plenty of races for him. He’s got an official rating of 90, so there are a lot of options for him within the new international series.”
Bahrain is unusual in the Middle East in that it provides only turf racing, which now takes place on two tracks, allowing for meetings on Friday and Saturday.
The art of perfecting the surface is the job of former Lingfield Clerk of the Course Neil Mackenzie Ross, who has supervised all the international racing to take place in Bahrain so far.
“From a track point of view, we now have the two grass courses in operation, which will help us tremendously,” he says, having used the inner track for the first time in 2020. “We will rotate them, which will allow them time to recover and the grass to regenerate, therefore hopefully enabling us to keep the racing surface in great condition throughout the whole season.”
So is there a downside?
It’s hard to find one. A 40-day residence in Bahrain is currently necessary for shippers from elsewhere in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, which may put off travelers from Dubai and Saudi, although work is being done to remedy this. A good thing for the visitors, but less so for local connections, is that horses dropping below a rating of 85 can then take part in domestic races.
“That will affect small owners, as not many owners in Bahrain can buy 85-rated horses,” says Mohammed Saeed. “These small owners are the fruit of the races; you don’t want to lose them.”
While the Sakhir track is quaint, welcoming and has been improved in recent years, it does perhaps lack the glitz of other international venues. There is currently no betting or alcohol allowed on course, while it is some 30 minutes’ drive from the hub of Bahraini social life in Manama. That might put off all bar those involved, although true racing devotees are unlikely to mind.
The advent of the All-Weather Championships in the UK, plus Dundalk in Ireland, have made it less necessary for trainers from those two countries to travel during the winter, but an excuse to see some winter sun is usually welcomed by owners.
For the series to succeed, it will need support from prominent European trainers, but with prize money in Britain rarely matching that available overseas, it seems Bahrain’s riches are ripe for raiding.