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| Sumita Pawar |
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The second round of the 2023-24 Bahrain Turf Series saw two exciting races, with both the sprint and middle-distance divisions won by horses trained internationally. In the Al Riffa Cup, Rocket Rodney, trained by George Scott and owned by HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa's Victorious Racing, showed a return to form with a victory.
However, the same owner, trainer, and jockey were unable to secure a double win when their Isle Of Jura failed to catch up to Lucander, trained by George Baker, in the Al Dana Cup. The Al Dana Cup saw a thrilling finish between the two top-weight horses, Isle Of Jura and Lucander, with the 7YO Lucander winning by a hair's breadth and denying Isle Of Jura a second victory in the Bahrain Turf Series. The third place went to the brave Box To Box, trained by Hugo Palmer, making it a 1-2-3 win for the international horses.
Trainer George Baker, accompanied by the owners, joyfully received Lucander, who had won twice in Bahrain last season. He expressed his delight by saying, "These horses are rare gems that require extensive traveling to discover, and once found, they take us on a journey around the world."
He added, “That was a huge thrill, what a horse he has become. Last year was amazing, but this more than matches it. He’s tough and he’s game and Patsy (Cosgrave) gave him a beautiful ride. He really stuck his neck out, I thought we were going to be done in the shadows of the post.
“He’s just been a superstar for us. He has won off a rating of 100 today, so we will have a think in the morning about which way we go from here.”
Isle of Jura was almost victorious half an hour before, but his connections were overjoyed when Rocket Rodney won the Al Riffa Cup. This was the second win of the season's Bahrain Turf Series for the owners, Victorious, trainer George Scott, and jockey Callum Shepherd.
Rocket Rodney's Victory Brings Trainer George Scott's Career Back On Track
Rocket Rodney's win was followed by Brazen Bolt, trained by John Quinn, and Anthem National, trained by Philip Kirby, who came in second and third, respectively. Rocket Rodney's victory in the sprint division was a significant one for trainer George Scott, as he credited the horse with helping him get his career back on track after a difficult period.
“He (Rocket Rodney) has been a great friend of Shaikh Nasser’s and myself and he really helped kick start my career again last year. He was the first horse Shaikh Nasser had with me and Shaikh Nasser has been very patient, so it is lovely to have the horse back and for him to win a Bahrain Turf Series race.
Referring to the delay at the start of the race, Scott added, “He’s got a great mind. He’s not a typical sprinter, he would walk around quietly all day. Then, once the race was underway, we were stuck on the rail but it was probably a good thing because by the end he really needed the line, so if he had got out sooner, he may have got tired. He has thrived here in the last couple of weeks so that gave me hope.”
Despite an unplaced effort in round one of the Bahrain Turf Series sprint division, jockey Callum Sheppard was pleasantly surprised by Rocket Rodney's win in the subsequent race.
Callum Shepherd said, “That was a little unexpected, though we hoped he would run better. It is just great for him to get his head back in front. He was a prolific juvenile, and it is really good he has gone and won today and done so in these circumstances.
“The step up in trip helped and we got a nice tow into the race. I thought I might get through up the rail, but when I pulled him out, he has picked up the leader nicely.”
The Bahrain Turf Series takes place from December to February and offers a platform for horses rated 85-100 from around the world to compete with local Bahraini horses in ten races. With each race worth $80,000, horses who accumulate the most points in both sprint and middle-distance categories will receive bonus prizes.
The 2021-22 season is the third edition of this series and runs parallel to Bahrain's domestic horse racing program. International horses participating in the series are also eligible to compete in other races hosted by the Bahrain Turf Club which are open to imported horses.
To view the results of the Al Riffa Cup and the Al Dana Cup, please follow the respective links. The next two Bahrain Turf Series races will be held on Friday, January 12th, 2023.