Vicki Gibbins is in the Middle East and she brings us the latest ahead of the Bahrain Trophy.
Day 2 Diary: Royal approval
There are some bleary faces amongst the media after an ill-timed fire alarm in the hotel.
Reactions are varied and I slept through the entire thing – a worrying development that leaves me questioning how I’ve been responding to my trackwork alarm in a morning, but not to an emergency siren.
Trainer Dylan Cunha is a better man than the rest of us. He obediently followed instructions to ‘evacuate the area’, descending 15 floors to a packed lobby at 2am and despite the disturbance, remains fresh-faced and cheerful at trackwork.
Newmarket-based South African trainers who had a fourth over the Grand National fences last week are thin on the ground in Bahrain, so it’s a great opportunity to have a quick catch-up.
“We’ve come out to see the facilities, I’m very impressed,” Dylan explains.
“Three years ago, we could come here on handicap marks from 85 to 90, now you need to be rated 100. We’ve got a horse called Serengeti [formerly with Aidan O’Brien] who could come out for the Turf Series.”
It will be a busy few weeks for the Cunha team with a small squad heading to Dubai.
“Asgard’s Captain will lead the way for us in Dubai. He can run from a mile and a quarter to two miles, he’s just as good over any distance. Silver Sword is probably coming towards the end of his career but does well at the track.
“Tail Gunner Joe and Gun Carriage both came from America and are bred for the dirt. Hopefully they’re going to take to the Meydan surface, as they’re not quite good enough for the turf – that’s the risk we’re taking.”
The lack of Yorkshire Tea is beginning to hit hard and it probably tells in my opening gambit to Karl Burke, who, after being begged at the post position draw, has brought Royal Champion down to see the press pack – what a lovely man.
Yorkshire is a long way from Bahrain but it doesn’t change the remarkable statistic that three of the last four renewals of the Bahrain International Trophy have gone the way of Northern trainers, a reputation I ask Karl if he’s willing to uphold.
“I’ll certainly try,” he laughs. “It’s a bit of a different angle isn’t it?
“You don’t expect that kind of statistic when you come out to these international races. Hopefully Royal Champion can run a big race.
“He’s very straightforward, he works well at home. You’re trying not to do too much with him, which is why we’ve kept it quiet this morning. He’s a lovely animal and has a huge amount of ability.”
With an official rating of 120, Royal Champion heads the list for Friday’s Bahrain International Trophy, having finished third behind Delacroix in the Irish Champion Stakes.
“I thought he ran a great race at Leopardstown, only beaten three lengths. Delacroix actually cut him up in the first hundred yards, I think he would have been a length or so closer to him otherwise.
“Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum was keen for me to bring him to Bahrain but after that, he’d like to save him for next season in the UK. It would be great to try and win a Group 1 with him, but he’s a really good Group 2 horse.”
It is Karl Burke’s first trip to Bahrain and I can imagine he will be back, especially given that we’re running out of races for him to win in Europe after an excellent season.
“I’m really impressed,” he says.
“The track is in great condition and it should suit, a good galloping track with a long, flat straight. Ideally, we’ll sit in the box seat but I’m unsure where the pace will come from. If they go slow, they’re probably playing into our hands.”
No pressure Karl, but there’s a Yorkshire reputation to uphold.
Day 1 Diary: Feeling the heat
Bahrain is hot.
Did you know the Middle East is hot?
Given the British obsession with the weather, I find myself with an unquestionable need to mention how warm it is to everyone and I’m starting to feel some affinity for all those horses we deem ‘profusely sweating’ in the paddock.
The Bahrain Turf Club provides a veritable oasis in the desert. A sweeping turf track wrapped around an expansive lake with a galloping three-furlong straight – it’s a course developed with the Thoroughbred at the fore.
It’s different - not better - but different from Chelmsford, a connection I’d never anticipated making as we drive down a newly-created avenue to the track, flanked by large images of the Bahrain International Trophy contenders.
For Clerk Of The Course Andy Waitt, the move from his role at Chelmsford to Bahrain was a dream.
“It’s a very long way from Chelmsford to Bahrain,” he smiles.
“Over 3000 miles and something I never expected to be doing.”
He is also happy to talk about the heat, a theme that I have thoroughly warmed to.
“The temperatures and the types of grass we have pose their own challenges.
“Through the summer, the rye grass can’t take the high temperatures so we have an underlayer of bluegrass to maintain the cushion.
“We have to water every day, but we will start cutting back a little over the next few days to bring the ground to where we want for race-day. Ideally, we’re looking at good, good-to-firm ground.”
Morning exercise is business-like and efficient. Five horses worked on the inner all-weather track, including the John and Thady Gosden-trained Lion’s Pride and Ralph Beckett’s Pride Of Arras.
It’s easy to see why trainers across Europe have been drawn to the Group 2 Bahrain International Trophy since its inauguration in 2019. Ten furlongs on good-to-firm ground with a one million dollar prize fund – what’s not to like?
“It’s a fantastic place to be,” explains Thady Gosden.
“The course is a European style of track – it’s right-handed, galloping with a long straight. It has a different dynamic than other racecourses in the Gulf.
“The equine facilities are world-class, there has been a lot of development and the race has changed in complexion over the last few years, going from strength to strength.”
Lion’s Pride is the yard’s fifth runner in the contest and will hope to go one better than each one of his predecessors, who all finished second.
“He’s a different profile to the other horses we’ve brought to Bahrain, but they’ve all run well,” added Thady.
“As you’d expect, the first couple of days he’s been having a good look around to see what’s going on but he’s really settled into it – this morning, he’s completely unphased.
“He’s a horse we could see campaigning internationally, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Lion’s Pride could be joined on his travels by Pride Of Arras, who is also a watching brief in Friday’s contest.
“He could go to Dubai, depending on what happens in Bahrain,” said Ralph Beckett.
“He’s malleable in terms of tactics and I don’t think distance is an issue, he is versatile over ten or twelve furlongs.
“It’s a long straight and that should suit Pride of Arras well.”
All that remains is breakfast and a good dose of exceptional Bahraini hospitality.
There’s a vast array of pastries and made-to-order omelettes, but more importantly, there’s air-con as the temperature starts to hit twenty-eight degrees.
Sweating up, will improve for the run.
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