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| Staff Writer |
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The eagerly anticipated fifth running of the US$1-million Bahrain International Trophy is just days away.
This year's Bahrain International Trophy is set to be a highly anticipated event, with a 14-strong field of impressive runners competing for a prize fund of US$1 million. The race will be run as a Group Two for the first time, and it boasts a deep renewal of talented equine athletes, some of whom have won races all over the world. While Fawzi Nass will be looking to fend off the international challengers with his locally-trained runners Calif and Qaader, it is clear that the raiding party features a whole host of star names who are proven at the top table.
Among them is Nations Pride, trained by Charlie Appleby, who is surely a favorite to take home the prize this year. Already a winner in five different countries, the son of Teofilo has a Timeform master rating of 124 and is the clear form pick ahead of John and Thady Gosden's Israr. Defending champion Dubai Future is also in the lineup, joined by stable companion Real World, while the five-strong Godolphin challenge is completed by Birr Castle from the André Fabre stable. Another notable runner is Marhaba Ya Sanafi, trained by Andreas Schutz, who is just the second European Classic winner to run in the race. Overall, the field is deep and impressive, and all eyes will be on the runners as they take to the sun-baked Sakhir circuit on race day.
"That makes it three individual Group One winners – Nations Pride, Marhaba Ya Sanafi and Above The Curve – in the line-up for Friday's race, a remarkable achievement in just its fifth year and a crucial step towards achieving top-level status in the future, equivalent to a European Group One race.
Some trainers expressed mild frustration when they discovered they would be facing a highly competitive field, featuring some of the best horses from all over the world, instead of an easier one. Noel Meade, who is used to competing against top trainers like Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott, noted that the race has jumped up to almost Group One standard.
Sporting Life ambassador Richard Fahey agreed, saying that the field is very strong, and for him, it's as good as a European Group One race. For husband-and-wife training duo Daniel and Claire Kubler, who have a runner in a Group One race for the first time with Astro King, it's an opportunity to show what they can do and compete at the highest level.
Overall, the Bahrain International Trophy has come a long way in just a few years and is now regarded as one of the most highly anticipated races in the world, attracting top talent and offering a considerable prize fund of US$1 million."