The Kingdom Raises Bar In Landmark Racing Season

Group Racing, Record Prize Money, Global Ambitions

From a US$1,000,000 Group Two showpiece to an ambitious 12-race international series and a pair of Group Three festivals, Bahrain's 2025-26 season delivered on every front, with total prize money across the major races exceeding US$2.5 million and the Kingdom firmly establishing itself as an essential destination on the international winter racing circuit.

Royal Champion Wins The Bahrain International Trophy

Royal Champion, a 7YO gelding trained in Yorkshire by Karl Burke and owned by the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, landed a late challenge under James Doyle to deny Galen, trained by Joseph O'Brien and ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle, by three quarters of a length in the Gr.2 Bahrain International Trophy on November 14. Military Order, representing Charlie Appleby and William Buick for Godolphin, stayed on for third in the 2,000-metre turf contest worth US$1,000,000.

The victory represented a landmark on several fronts, Royal Champion recording his biggest win having previously claimed a Group Two at York in July before finishing third in the Gr.1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September. It was a fourth Yorkshire-trained winner of the race in five years and Burke's first Stakes success outside Europe.

Doyle, standing in for the injured Clifford Lee, paid tribute to his stricken colleague: "I think the first person who should be mentioned is Clifford Lee. He's been a big part of this horse's life, and he can't be here tonight, but we wish him a full recovery. He was just getting himself balanced on this track and then once we levelled up in the straight, he was always going to get there."

Bahrain Turf Club CEO Yusuf Buheji added: "We are very proud of how the Bahrain International Trophy has developed and once again the race attracted a high-quality international field. The crowd on course and those watching around the world were treated to a thrilling race under the floodlights at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club."

King's Cup Festival Set To Crown Season (Rescheduled To April)

The King's Cup Festival, rescheduled to April, is set to serve as the season's fitting climax, staged across two evenings at the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club under floodlights, with 16 races completing a programme of considerable depth and breadth. The centrepiece is the Gr.3 King's Cup, carrying a prize fund of US$400,000 following the doubling of the purse ahead of the 2026 renewal, with Jaber Ramadhan's Sovereign Spirit publicly targeted at a second consecutive success.

The festival also incorporates the Al Methaq Mile (Listed) at US$120,000 and the two concluding Bahrain Turf Series rounds, The International Handicap and Al Fateh Cup, each elevated to US$100,000 for the finale.

Sovereign Spirit Claims Gr.3 Crown Prince's Cup

Sovereign Spirit, a 6YO gelding owned by Al-Afoo Racing, held off the storming late challenge of Cracksking – representing Al Adiyat Racing for Daniel and Claire Kubler – by a short head in a nerve-shredding photo finish to land the Gr.3 Crown Prince's Cup on January 30, completing a famous double having won the King's Cup the previous season. Hi Royal, trained by Kevin Ryan for Al Mohamediya Racing, stayed on for third in the US$200,000 contest. Trained by Jaber Ramadhan and ridden for the first time by Paul Mulrennan, Sovereign Spirit recorded his eleventh career victory and eighth success in the Kingdom.

Mulrennan said: "He travelled round so strong. He stays well, he's very genuine and he put his head down right on the line." Ramadhan added: "The jockey was great; he gave him a brilliant ride. The plan now is to go to Saudi and then the King's Cup again."

The same card produced a striking performance from No Retreat in the Bahrain Mile worth US$50,000, the Victorious Forever-owned gelding pulling clear of Byline and Northern Express under Callum Shepherd, who said: "He seems to have taken a big leap forward the last two starts and he's earned his place wherever he would go next."

Calif Lands Hh Shaikh Nasser Cup (Listed)

Calif, a Group One winner in Germany in 2024, returned to his best in the HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup (Listed) over 2,200 metres on February 19. Trained by Fawzi Nass and ridden by Stephane Ladjadj, the 6YO came with a sustained run down the outside to collar Bedouin Prince, representing Godolphin for Charlie Appleby and William Buick, with Panning For Gold in third in the US$135,000 contest.

Remarkably, it was Calif's first victory on home soil despite ranking among the most prominent horses trained in the Kingdom. Ladjadj said: "This horse is special for us. This horse is like a train, he needs a clear run, and we got that from the 600 metres today."

Bahrain Turf Series Brings Thrills Every Round

The 2025-26 Bahrain Turf Series, a 12-race programme split equally across sprint and middle-distance divisions, ran from December 19 and provided the structural backbone of the international programme. Each of the first ten races was worth US$80,000, with the two finals elevated to US$100,000 apiece, generating a combined total of US$1,000,000 in prize money.

The series established its capacity for the unexpected immediately when Kendall Roy, trained by Kate McGivern – who operates with just two horses in training – won the Al Manama Cup under local jockey Husain Makki after the original booking fell through on the day. McGivern said: "This win means everything. He's the most fun horse; he tries every time he runs." On the same evening, Nesthorn, acquired by George Baker after a run in France behind subsequent Arc winner Daryz, made a striking debut under Benoit De La Sayette in the Al Muharraq Cup.

Round Two on January 2 saw Chandigah, trained by Mahmood Jawad and ridden by Szczepan Mazur, take the Al Riffa Cup sprint in dominant fashion, while Hi Royal recorded his first win since 2022 in the Al Dana Cup under Neil Callan for Al Mohamediya Racing.

Round Three on January 16 produced a sprint and middle-distance double of contrasting stories. Another Baar, trained by Adrian Keatley, claimed the Al Wasmiya Cup following a blinkers removal and change of tactics.

Phantom Flight, a 7YO trained by George Scott for Victorious Forever, then delivered a four-length demolition of a high-class field in the Al Adiyat Cup (Listed) under Callum Shepherd – a performance Scott described as "the performance of a horse at the top of his game."

Day one of the Crown Prince's Cup Festival on January 29 added two landmarks. Dain Ma Nut In, from the Scottish yard of Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore, became the first winner in Bahrain trained north of the border, front-running throughout the Anchorman Cup under Lewis Edmunds.

The same evening produced a maiden Bahrain Turf Series victory for Al Adiyat Racing when Up The Pace, trained by Daniel and Claire Kubler and ridden by Bahrain Turf Club ambassador Tom Marquand, took the Hawar Cup sprint, Marquand noting the gelding "clearly loves conditions here."

Round Five on February 19 completed a notable Victorious Forever double through Signalman, trained by Fawzi Nass in the middle-distance division, while Dan Tucker made a striking debut in the Al Sakhir Cup sprint under Callan for Al Mohamediya Racing.

Growth Trajectory Points To A Brighter Future

When the Bahrain International Trophy was launched in 2019, it stood largely in isolation as a single marquee international event. What emerged across six seasons was something considerably more sophisticated: a structured winter campaign offering internationally trained horses a clear and progressive competitive pathway, anchored by a Group Two flagship, framed by two Group Three festivals and underpinned by a 12-race series that transformed how European connections viewed the Kingdom.

The Group status progression illustrated the trajectory precisely. The Bahrain International Trophy graduated from Group Three to Group Two in 2023, the King's Cup gained Group Three status in 2025, and the Crown Prince's Cup also became a Group Three contest.

The Ramadan Nights series, now in its fifth year, further distinguished Bahrain's calendar through evening racing under floodlights during the holy month, drawing owners, trainers and horses from across the world.

Horses purchased specifically with the Kingdom in mind at the European sales arrived throughout the campaign and made immediate impressions, reflecting a meaningful shift in how international connections regarded Bahrain – not as a supplementary option but as a primary winter destination.

The network of invitation races linked to the Bahrain International Trophy, spanning Japan's Sapporo Kinen, the Strensall Stakes at York and the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, gave the race a global footprint rivalling many longer-established Group Two contests.

With the King's Cup Festival still to come, Bahrain's 2025-26 campaign already stands as the most internationally impactful in the Kingdom's racing history, the trajectory remaining firmly upward and the ambition of those running the sport giving every indication that the ceiling has not yet been reached.

Note: The results of the King's Cup Festival and the final two Bahrain Turf Series races were not available at the time this issue went to press.