Magny Cours on Course For Bahrain International Trophy

The 7YO Godolphin gelding Magny Cours has always shown what he is capable of.

He will continue to do so as he looks to line up for his second run in the Bahrain International

For Andre Fabre to add to his already remarkable resume, he will be competing for the trophy.

Fabre spoke with Ten Furlongs about his career and what is next for the Kentucky-bred gelding ahead of a start in the Bahrain International Trophy.

“He has always been a nice, easy horse to train,” Fabre said.

Fabre, born in San Sebastien (Spain), grew up in different foreign countries, mainly Germany with his interest in horses coming through show jumping before a career as an amateur jockey and professional jumps jockey.

His jumps riding career saw him win more than two hundred and fifty races including the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. 

However, Fabre's choice to begin training proved to be the master stroke, and he has had much greater success as a trainer of both jump and flat runners than he had as a rider.

It has been a training career that has seen him be named champion trainer in France on thirty-one occasions, including 21 straight years from 1987 to 2007, while also training winners across the world including four Breeders' Cup races.

First training a starter in 2000 and now approaching 12,000 starts closing in on 5000 winners with a massive 188 Group Ones, the first coming in the Prix d’Hispahan with Al Nasr, Fabre has a record to be admired and respected.

His stable has included such champion horses as Trempolino, Peintre Celebre and Waldgeist under his guidance as well as two horses ranked No. 1 in the world in Hurricane Run (2005) and Manduro (2007).

For this season alone, he has had forty-eight winners: including 2 x Group Ones, a Gr.2, a Gr.3, and nine Listed Race honours. Add to this, a further 73 placings from 226 starters and have made the winnings tick past US$3,3 million. 

His current stable currently boasts classy 2YO colt Belbeck who recently added another Group One win to Fabre’s trophy case in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

Fabre has said that the two-time Group three, Group two winner and now Group one winner will be rested for a year before heading into training for the Qipco 2000 Guineas.

Although a run before that was suggested Fabre feels that a Group One win in what was his fifth run for the season was more than enough for the Showcasing-Bee Queen progeny.

“He’s done for the year, we decided he did not need to run again,” Fabre told media.

“I don’t see him having any problem in staying a mile next season, he would have had no problem in staying it this season, it’s just that he has already had five runs and I don’t think he needs to run again.

"Obviously, we will run him in a prep race next spring to see if he is good enough for the English Guineas."

For now, he is interested in what Magny Cours can do in Bahrain and continues to have great respect and regard for the horse.

“His size means he was rather late to mature but he has always done everything that has been asked of him and when he is good enough - he wins.”

Magny Cours trains out of the Godolphin powerhouse and sired by Medaglia d’Oro out of Indy Five Hundred has been improving nicely since his time in the GCC.

“He ran last winter in Saudi - it was a bad experience for him, so we decided to give him a long holiday and he gradually came back in good shape,” Fabre said.

The race the trainer refers to being the Group One Saudi Cup in February where he finished tenth before another tenth place a month later in the Dubai World Cup. 

Following the break, he would return to track racing in France in the Prix de Coye for 4YO’s where he put in a great effort taking the race out. 

“He won his last race very nicely which made us take the decision to go back to Bahrain.”

The 2000-meter Bahrain International Trophy is a marquee Group Three open to 3YOs and older with a rating of 95 or above in their domestic nation. It aims to further establish Bahrain as the premier destination for horse racing while showcasing the pure elite athleticism of its entrants.

Shaikh Salman bin Rashed Al Khalifa, Executive Director of the Bahrain Turf Club is a proud spokesperson for the race and the growth of the sport in the region.

“We are very happy with the quality of horses entered for this year’s renewal of the Gr.3 Bahrain International Trophy. Some of the best trainers from around the world have once again supported the race,” he said.

“Last year was the first time the race was run with Group Three status, and it saw three high-class horses fight out the finish. With the race now a key date in the international racing calendar, we firmly believe that the race will continue to progress through the grades with our ultimate goal to have Bahrain host its first international Group One race.”

This will be Magny Cours’ second shot at the Bahrain International Trophy after finishing third last time last year by a neck to the Charlie Appleby-trained Barney Roy, a Godolphin stablemate. 

This year’s edition looks to be even better with a field of talented starters once again that includes the Owen Burrows-trained Alflaila that earned his spot after winning the “Automatic Entry” Strensall Stakes at York in August.

Magny Cours will be joined by two other runners flying the flag for Godolphin and three locally trained horses have also been entered in, Dilawar who finished fourth in the Group One Prix d'Ispahan, Litigator racing for Haider Ebrahim and Pensiore D’Amore racing for Mohammed Hassan.

Fabre says his starter looks to be maturing nicely and is preparing greatly ahead of Group Three later this month.

“He has been doing well, he is a mature horse.

“He leaves on the 10th to go to Bahrain where the facilities are excellent, and the travel conditions are very good.”  

Fabre has commitments at home and cannot accompany the horse on this trip, but he intends to bring the horse back to Europe after the race so that his future racing destinations may be determined.

“He will likely run again in the UAE.”

The trainer enjoys racing his stable throughout the region and added that he was leaving his options open for a possible further runner in the GCC and other races.

“I will have a close look at the cards to see if I have another option as I would love to have more runners in Bahrain.”