Bahrain International Trophy report and reaction: Spirit Dancer sparkles for Fahey
Spirit Dancer ran out an emphatic winner of the $1-million Bahrain International Trophy for Sporting Life ambassador Richard Fahey and part-owner Sir Alex Ferguson.
The son of Frankel was running outside of handicaps for just the third time in his career having been a ready winner of the Strensall Stakes at York's Ebor Festival on his first start in Group company, proving himself a much-improved performer at the age of six.
That victory secured him his place in the line-up for this valuable contest and he arrived in Bahrain with plenty of confidence behind him despite being beaten on his next start at Newmarket.
Former Manchester United manager Ferguson and Ged Mason made the journey over to watch him in action and they wouldn't have had too many anxious moments in the race itself as Spirit Dancer travelled smoothly towards the rear of the field under Oisin Orr before starting to make headway early in the straight.
Produced to lead entering the final furlong, Spirit Dancer quickly put the race to bed from there as he surged clear to land the spoils by two and a quarter lengths from Israr, who just edged out Point Lonsdale for second.
SPIRIT DANCER 🔴⚪️
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 17, 2023
The Sir Alex Ferguson-owned Spirit Dancer produces a withering run from off the pace to land the $1m Bahrain International Trophy in stunning fashion! 🇧🇭@RichardFahey | @ged_mason | @BahrainTurfClub pic.twitter.com/dGcfgM2FF9
Ferguson was understandably delighted, telling Racing TV: “That is the best ever, without doubt. Against all the pedigrees and form of all the other horses – that’s fantastic, I couldn’t believe it.
“Richard said to leave it to the jockey, he’ll be all right. I was terrified looking at all the other people involved in this race. Godolphin had five horses in it. That was great, I’m so proud.
“I said to the jockey ‘remember, he’s a Frankel’.”
“$1 million!” Fahey joked when asked why the victory meant so much before adding: “I'm on cloud nine, it's fantastic.
“It was in my mind all year to come here, but I thought it would be an easier race. I thought he'd win but not beat the field he did today. The bookmakers didn't give us much chance in England.
“It's just a surreal moment, a moment I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Bahrain has been very good to us and I thought it was fantastic when Sir Alex said that he'd definitely come.
“It was a plan that realistically I didn't think was going to happen this morning but it has – he's pulled it out of the fire.
“I've got a lot of owners from here, but I'd call them friends rather than owners. They can't do enough for you and it's great to come over and conquer Bahrain. It feels like we have done that today – for 10 minutes we own Bahrain, so it's fantastic.”
Orr added: “I got a lovely sit the whole race and I always felt I had plenty of horse underneath me. I couldn’t believe how well he quickened in the straight, he’s won well.
“He had good form coming here, maybe he just needed his last run a little but he’s come back to his best today.”
Adam Houghton analysis
This was the first running of the Bahrain International Trophy as a Group 2 – with a $1-million prize fund to boot – and it's fair to say that the field assembled for it was one fully deserving of the accolade, featuring three individual Group/Grade 1 winners plus several others who had previously finished placed at that level.
That's the hard part when trying to build the profile of a race on the international stage. It's one thing giving it a boost in status and throwing a load of money at it, but the task of actually attracting the horses needed to provide a contest fitting of the occasion is quite another.
The extent to which the Bahrain Turf Club has succeeded in that aim becomes clear when you compare the quality of this year's race to that of 12 months ago.
The eventual winner Dubai Future set the standard going into last year's running with a pre-race Timeform rating of 119. This year the line-up featured no fewer than five horses with a rating of 119 or above – plus the filly Above The Curve (114) who received 5lb from the boys – with Nations Pride appearing very much the one to beat on 124.
As it turned out, the $1-million pot probably didn't take as much winning as that, with Nations Pride weakening out of the frame having done too much too soon from his wide draw, but there was still plenty to like about the effort of the winner, SPIRIT DANCER, who capped a season of remarkable progress with his most complete performance to date.
Always travelling strongly towards the rear of the field, Spirit Dancer found a turn of foot in the straight that none of his rivals could match, drawing right away in the final furlong and ultimately running out a clear-cut winner as those behind him all finished in a heap.
Spirit Dancer, who had a pre-race rating of 116, perhaps isn't quite so good as this beating of the placed pair, Israr (121) and Point Lonsdale (119) made him look, but it was surely a career-best effort and it will be no surprise if he's pushing 120 after the Timeform handicappers have got their heads together over the weekend.
Either way, it's been quite the campaign for a six-year-old who started it with a rating of 104 having been successful just once from five starts in handicaps in 2022. This year he's been on a roll and in Bahrain he was claiming his fourth success of 2023 having already won handicaps at York and Windsor before making a successful debut in pattern company in the Strensall Stakes back on the Knavesmire.
Trainer Richard Fahey has clearly found the key to Spirit Dancer at this relatively late stage in his career, while a mention should also go to a certain Sir Alex Ferguson, who bred this gelding out of the unraced mare Queen's Dream.
Former Manchester United manager Ferguson has enjoyed plenty of success as an owner, both on the Flat and over jumps, though it hasn't always been well received. There was memorably one occasion when his What A Friend won the Bowl Chase at Aintree, a victory which saw him roundly booed by a huge crowd of Liverpool-supporting Scousers when his face appeared on the big screen shortly afterwards.
It was a very different story today. In fact, it's hard to think there could have been a more popular result, not least with the Bahrain Turf Club, the sight of a beaming Ferguson in the aftermath promising to do more to raise the profile of this race than if it had been a Group 1 with $2 million up for grabs.
Perhaps another upgrade will be the next step, but that's a discussion for another day. Today the only steps that mattered were those of Spirit Dancer, a sparkling winner of a race on a steep upward curve.
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