The legendary former Manchester United manager will be at Sakir Racecourse to watch his horse Spirit Dancer compete in the Bahrain International Cup.
Sir Alex Ferguson has set himself a new target as he looks to add to his trophy haul as Bahrain’s richest racing prize.
The legendary former Manchester United manager is scheduled to attend a race meeting at Sakhir Racecourse, where he will take part in the richest Group 2 race in history.
At this time of year, Fegerson’s horse racing interests are usually focused on his jump with the best horse on course, Protect Rat, who will be aiming for his second victory in Saturday’s Betfair Chase at Haydock Racecourse.
On Friday, Spirit Dancer, trained by Richard Fahey and owned by friends Fred Dunn and Ged Mason, will be in the Persian Gulf island nation to take on the international 1m2f flat race.
“Sir Alex has always shared horses with us throughout my career as a trainer,” Fahey told Great British Racing International.
“I think he’s a great guy. I’ve had some great conversations with him. He’s a good guy. You can tell he’s been ahead of the curve because he’s got great manners, he’s a proper gentleman, he’s a proper leader.
“He has been very patient with the horse. You can imagine he was quite backwards when he arrived and Sir Alex, from a footballer’s point of view, is sometimes very patient with the horse. We understand that we need time to do things, and this player was one of them.”
Spirit Dancer, a son of the supersire Frankel, also bred by Mr Ferguson, won three times in the summer and recorded his biggest win in the Group 3 Strensall Stakes at York in August.
“We left him in the John Smith Cup feeling handicapped, which he probably was, but he finished 21st and drew the coffin draw and won from there. It was almost impossible,” Fahey said. It’s been good since then.
“After the Strensall game I gave him a bit of a break and used Newmarket as preparation for Bahrain as he had scored four times in a month.
“The goal all season was Bahrain because it’s a multi-million dollar race and everything suits him.”
He added: “Bahrain is an emerging horse racing nation. We were third in this race, which was worth $500,000 at the time, and now it’s worth $1 million.
“I believe Sir Alex will go and it will be a great journey for him.”