TDT | Manama
Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
The runners and jockeys for the 2023 Bahrain International Trophy have been confirmed, with 14 horses set to compete in the strongest field in the race’s five-year history.
The runners will be led by three-time G1 winner Nations Pride, ridden by British champion jockey William Buick, hoping for a change in fortunes for his fourth win at Bahrain’s marquee event. There is.
The $1 million Bahrain International Trophy will be held this Friday at Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club (REHC).
The race, in which 14 horses compete for a prize of $1 million, includes foreign-trained horses from France, Great Britain, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as two locally-trained horses.
William Buick, who was retained as the first jockey of the Godolphin operation and was recently crowned British champion jockey for the second consecutive year, is one of seven current and former champion jockeys from Great Britain, France and Ireland who will ride in the race. It is.
Buick has yet to finish in the top seven in their last three attempts at the Bahrain International Trophy, but Nations Pride believes this is their best chance yet. “Nations Pride is a very good horse,” trainer Buick said.
He is a classy three-year-old who went into the 2021 Derby as a real favorite but probably wouldn’t have stayed on the day.
However, he has always been highly regarded and has performed really well since then. ” Nations Pride has won two Group 1 races this season, the Grosser Dallmayr-Place-Bayerisch in Germany in July and the Canadian International last month.
winner
Buick added: “He gave me a really good feeling when he won Group 1 in Germany.
He defeated the German Derby winner in good style. And even though the soft ground wasn’t to his liking on his last trip to Canada, he still won. “He’s a very easy horse to ride.
I haven’t had much luck in previous races, but this one is different. He’s a mile and quarter specialist and I think he’s a really good candidate.
“Nations Pride is the best chance I have had at the Bahrain International Cup, but with a strong batting line-up, a very competitive field and a good, fast field, you need to get the margin in your favor.
“I love going to Bahrain. It’s a very fair track, they’re doing a great job on the ground, and the crowd there loves their racing and is very enthusiastic. I’m looking forward to it.”
Nations Pride trainer Charlie Appleby will also ride Highland Avenue, along with Saeed Bin Suroor’s two horses, last year’s Bahrain International Cup winner Dubai Future and group number one Real World, who will be riding 4 from Godolphin. Completed a tough challenge.
Among the horses traveling from Europe was French Classic winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi, a stallion who not only won a G1 over a mile, but also finished third in the French Derby.
Ireland’s strong Coolmore operation is represented by Point Lonsdale, ridden by Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore, and Above the Curve, trained by Joseph O’Brien.
The strength of the field and the high quality of jockeys who travel to Bahrain for this race have pleased those who have been following the race since its start in 2019.
His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of REHC, said: “The Bahrain International Trophy is the highlight event on our racing calendar.
This year it is more valuable than ever, with promotion to Group 2 status recognizing the race’s improved status on the world stage.
“Our progress in recent years is evidenced by the high quality of horses we have attracted and the growing scale of our international participation.
“Following the increased prize money, the Bahrain International Trophy will be the first $1 million race to be held in Saudi Arabia, with the line-up being the strongest in the history of the race.
We warmly welcome the connections between horses trained overseas and look forward to a memorable race on Friday. ”
The lottery to determine each runner’s starting gate will be held on Wednesday evening