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| Staff Writer |
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Trainer George Baker faces a busy day ahead with six runners to saddle. Four of his horses hold promising prospects in the Bahrain Turf Series (BTS), with two contenders in each race for the second round of the series.
Baker, a strong supporter of racing in Bahrain, has sent his largest team yet of seven horses from England to compete in the BTS and other races at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club (REHC) this season.
The BTS runs from December to February and offers opportunities for internationally trained runners rated 85-100 to compete against Bahrain-based horses across ten races. Each race carries a prize of US$80,000, with bonus awards for horses earning the most points in the sprint and middle distance categories.
Lucander, the highest-rated horse in Baker's team, is back in Bahrain to pursue further glory, following a successful stint in the country last year. Lucander will be partnered with jockey Pat Cosgrave in the Al Dana Cup, the first round of the Bahrain Turf Series, in which they won the Al Muharraq Cup in 2022.
Lucander began his 2023-24 campaign with an impressive third-place finish in this year's Al Muharraq Cup, behind the outstanding winner, Isle Of Jura, trained by George Scott. In today's race, Isle Of Jura will face the challenge of giving weight away to Lucander, and Baker is confident that his horse has improved since his last run.
He said, “Lucander ran a great race last time out. I thought he would need the run and indeed the jockey reported he took a blow (of air) before running on again to be third. I was delighted and everybody has been happy with him since. He meets Isle Of Jura on better terms so we are very hopeful.”
In addition to Lucander, Baker is set to race Graignes in the Al Dana Cup. Although Graignes will be making his debut in Bahrain, the 7YO has won two races in Britain earlier this year. The Al Dana Cup will be a thrilling and competitive race for the middle-distance division of the series, as six of the first seven from round one will be competing against each other again.
Baker also has two horses in the sprint division, the Al Riffa Cup, which runs over 1,200m. Get It, who won a BTS race last season, and Kiwano, whom Baker believes will improve for his recent run, are among the horses that Baker will be saddling.
Regarding Kiwano, Baker said, “I like this horse enormously. We bought him to run at the big summer festivals in Britain, but he had a couple of niggles and we ended up keeping him fresh for the winter in Bahrain. He will benefit from the step up to 1,200m, his last run was good and it blew away some cobwebs. He has come out of the race in good form and he is training very well.”
Baker added, “Get It missed round one of the Bahrain Turf Series due to having a slight temperature having just come off the plane, but all is good now and he is in fine form.
“We had three horses out in Bahrain last year and this year we have seven. We have our own quarantine barn and my team of Patrick and Valerie are running things on the ground. We have learned from the previous two years and we know our way around.
“The facilities in Bahrain are absolutely fantastic and it is a wonderful experience for our owners to come out and watch their horses run.”
Besides his four horses competing in the BTS, Baker is also participating in other races today. He will be running Simply Sondheim in the Kuwait Finance House Cup, which is a 2,400m race, and Sir Winston in the Humphrey Butler Fine Jewellery Cup, which is a 1,600m race. More than 20 of Baker's owners will be flying out to attend the race day, making it an exciting event for everyone involved.
The BTS is a 10-race series that was launched in 2021-22, and this season is its third edition. The series takes place alongside the domestic programme in Bahrain, and international horses that compete in the series are eligible to run in other races open to imported horses at the Bahrain Turf Club.