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| Sumita Pawar |
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Don’t think British horse trainer George Baker will shy away from entering a race due to the venue holding the event. Baker enjoys seeing the horses in his stable flourish on the world stage, no matter where that performance occurs.
“We’ve always had the mantra of ‘Have horse, will travel’ because we love travelling our horses,” Baker said. “Our owners love the enjoyment of racing in different racing jurisdictions around the world.”
There will be many different races Baker will be excited to be involved with. One event Baker is thrilled to be involved with is the Bahrain Turf Series. In the event’s second year, Baker will have seven horses entered in various races.
Baker learned from running there last year what type of horse they need to perform well. Based on that information, Baker was able to put together a nine-month plan for success.
“That gave us a taste for the type of horse you need, and for any travel horse, it’s got to be resilient mentally and physically,” Baker said. “The turf is in great condition, but it’s a pretty fast ground. … Obviously, you wouldn’t take a mud lover over there. It’s not going to rain very often in the desert.”
GROUND CONDITIONS DICTATE ENTRIES
Ground conditions are essential for Baker’s strategy. Over the years, the locales in which the horses have run races have gained everyone involved a lot of valuable experience.
“We’re raced horses everywhere around the world,” Baker said. “We’ve raced in Dubai. We’ve raced in Istanbul. We’ve raced across Europe and America.”
In addition to the Bahrain Turf Series, Baker will have two horses competing in the White Turf Race in Saint Moritz, Switzerland. Running in snow requires a different type of mentality.
“The criteria from the snow to the desert are very different, but it’s an understanding of the ground condition, the type of horse you need, the race conditions, and the distance of the races,” Baker said. “You adapt to the program book in front of you and try to find the right horses.”
At the Bahrain Turf Series, Baker will have seven horses split between five-, six-, nine- and 10-furlong races.
PREVIOUS BAHRAIN EXPERIENCE PROVIDES GAMEPLAN
Heading to the Middle East wasn’t something that Baker took lightly. He wanted to learn how to handle these races right away.
“When we first took two horses to Bahrain two winters ago, it was a massive learning curve,” Baker said.
Despite that, Baker believes that his team has been one of the more daring to take on opportunities in the region that others won’t touch. 21 international horses are running in the Bahrain Turf Series, and Baker will have seven of those entries.
Baker stressed he didn’t mean any disrespect to other trainers but was surprised not to see more international horses involved.
“Without being rude about my peers, many of whom are brilliant trainers, I’m delighted that they haven’t got the imagination, or they haven’t got owners with the imagination to send their horses to these far-flung places.”
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LUCANDER WAS A STAR IN BAHRAIN LAST YEAR
6YO gelding Lucander turned heads at the Bahrain Equestrian Club last season. During the 2022 season, Lucander finished with two victories in seven starts, with both coming in Bahrain. Lucander has already seen an increased workload in 2023, making eight starts and picking up a win.
“He’s been an absolute superstar for us,” Baker said.
Lucander has already registered $116,109 in earnings in 2023, eclipsing last year’s total. Lucander has been a steady performer throughout his racing career, picking up seven first place finishes in 34 starts. He has earned $350,000 for his owners.
Lucander and Simply Sondheim have already run in Bahrain in early December at the Al Muharraq Cup. Lucander placed third, while Simply Sondheim finished fifth.
“They were two very good runs straight off the aeroplane,” Baker said. “Because the horses only landed in the kingdom on Monday and were racing on Friday.”
Baker said he felt that Lucander showed a little bit of fatigue.
“He got a little bit tired,” Baker said. “If we’d had another week, I’d be confident. As it was, we were hopeful rather than confident. But he ran a huge race and will come on for that.”
Baker said Lucander will run at the next meeting in December and throughout the series. The plan is to try to split up Simply Sondheim and Lucander.
“Simply Sondheim, likewise, I was delighted with that run,” Baker said. ’We probably will try to keep them apart for the remaining four series races. Maybe run them in two each and dovetail through those races.’
Simply Sondheim was one of several horses purchased by Baker specifically for the event in Bahrain. Baker also bought Sir Winston, trained by Roger Varian.
“He’s a talented horse,” Baker said. “He hasn’t raced for us, but like Simply Sondheim, he was purchased for this.
FRENCH HORSE WILL ALSO RYN FOR BAKER
Graignes is a horse who Baker expects will run well in Bahrain in the nine and 10-furlong group.
“He’s been an absolute star for us,” Baker said. “He was a group performer as a 3YO when he trained in France. He’s done brilliantly this summer in the UK, winning big races at Sandown and Kempton. He’s seven, rising eight, but he seems to be in the form of his life.”
In addition to Lucander, Sir Winston, and Simply Sondheim, Graignes will run in the nine-furlong races. If appropriate, Baker plans to explore options to run in Saudi Arabia, Doha, and even Dubai.
“We’ve basically got horses with the core plan of running them in Bahrain, but definitely with the option of running in other Middle Eastern racing jurisdictions,” Baker said.
The three other horses that Baker will enter include Danger Alert, Kiwano, and Get It. Those three horses have already run in Dubai.
“The race was over five furlongs,” Baker said. “It was too short for them, but it was more just blowing away the cobwebs off the aeroplane. They weren’t disgraced at all.”
Baker expects all three of those horses to come on as the series continues.
“All three of them may run and take each other on,” Baker said. “But sprinters tend to spend most of their careers beating each other.”