Bahrain Turf Series Begins on Friday

Fields have been confirmed for the first two races of the £550,000 Bahrain Turf Series on Friday. One of 16 in the seven-furlong £50,000 Al Manama Cup is Natural Path (Ire) (Toronado {Ire}), one of two from Michael Bell for the opening card. His stablemate Ace Rothstein  (More Than Ready) is bound for the £50,000 1 1/4-mile Al Muharraq Cup later on the card, which features 15 horses. Bell's son Nick is on hand to oversee the five-time winner and dual scorer, respectively.

Nick Bell said of Natural Path, “He had a productive summer over six furlongs and showed all the right credentials to be a horse who might be suited to Bahrain in the sense that he has good gate speed and travels strongly. Kieran Shoemark is going to take the ride and we're hopeful of a big run from him.”

Bell added of Ace Rothstein, who gains local jockey Lee Newman, “He is a horse that stays well, likes fast ground and we're happy with the condition he's come in. After he won a couple of races he was raised quite a bit in the handicap so then we started to look at international races for him and we think he is a suitable candidate as they have a good programme for 10-furlong horses over here.”

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Callan Enjoying The Green Grass Of Home – And Bahrain

In conversation with Neil Callan, you would never guess that the nickname given to the jockey in Hong Kong was 'The Iron Man'. He is quietly spoken with a soft Irish lilt that indicates his nation of birth, despite the fact that he refers to his return to England in July as “coming home”.

Newmarket is indeed home to his wife Trish, whose grandfather David Ringer trained successfully for many years from Saffron House Stables, where he lives still and which is now leased to the swiftly rising George Boughey.

Callan may have been mostly absent from Britain since 2014, when he moved to Hong Kong full-time following four years of short-term stints, but he swiftly reinserted himself to racing HQ this summer to be reunited with plenty of old friends and forge new acquaintances with others. He clearly fits in well wherever he bases himself, and who can forgive him for ensuring that he is currently based in a place which is significantly warmer than Britain in midwinter?

As the curtain fell on the turf season in Europe, the jockey headed out to Bahrain for the winter, but with more in mind that just topping up his tan. This Friday sees the first two legs of the 10-race Bahrain Turf Series run at Sakhir racecourse, which recently staged its third annual Bahrain International Trophy. That race was given Group 3 status for the first time this year and it is unlikely to be the only black-type race on the card in years to come. With its international meeting and launch of the new series, the Bahrain Turf Club has clearly signalled its intent to become a more major player on the world racing stage. Callan's winter riding principally for Shaikh Sultan Al Deen Al Khalifa of Al Mohamediya Racing will doubtless be time well spent. 

“I'm here until March and things are going well,” he told TDN during the international race day in late November. “I've never ridden here in Bahrain before this season but it's a lovely island and the people are so nice and hospitable. I'm riding for Shaikh Sultan and he's such a nice man.”

Shaikh Sultan's silks are familiar beyond the shores of Bahrain. In England, he has horses with Clive Cox, Richard Fahey, David O'Meara, Andrew Balding, Karl Burke and Mark Johnston. His most notable runner to date has been the G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}), who is now at stud for Sumbe in Normandy.

Callan continued, “I think when you feel comfortable in a place like this it gives you confidence to ride to the best of your ability, whereas in some other jurisdictions they like to put a lot more pressure on you than you need. I'm not saying that pressure affects me but it's unnecessary and unwanted at certain times. 

“So many of the owners here have had horses in England for a long time. They are certainly not new to the game but they are a more conservative nation and they don't really like to announce that they've arrived. But they are slowly but surely putting themselves on the map and I like the way they are doing things. They are doing it their way and it's gradual, and I really like that style. There are some very knowledgeable people here and it's a country steeped in racing history.”

As the Bahrain Turf Series gets underway, Callan is the co-leading overseas rider for the season in Bahrain with Rosie Jessop, and he has rides in both the seven-furlong Manama Cup and 10-furlong Muharraq Cup for trainer Hesham Al Haddad. Each race has also attracted the desired overseas horses, with seven British-based trainers fielding runners. The series reaches its conclusion on Feb. 18, at which stage Callan will begin to turn his attention to the start made last year to rebuilding his British career.

“Hopefully I'll keep getting some luck here [in Bahrain] and riding for owners that also have horses in England, and who knows where that might lead. Ideally I'd like to get back before the start of the turf season at home just to get myself up and running on the all-weather and get on some of the horses of certain trainers that I ride for and to make some new contacts,” he said.

“Back in the days when I was riding for Kevin Ryan and Roger Varian, I'd also always ride for a lot of different trainers and owners. It's like anything, you don't turn down an opportunity when it comes. I don't have any retainers, so that's what my plan is, to just go back and get out there riding as many winners as possible.”

Among the range of trainers who put him up in England last year, the most successful relationship was forged with Marco Botti, trainer of the smart juvenile Tatsumaki (GB) (Charming Thought {GB}), who was unbeaten in three starts, twice with Callan in the saddle. 

“I've grown a good association with Marco,” Callan said. “I got on a good 2-year-old for him, Tatsumaki, and unfortunately the horse was sold to Hong Kong, but I kind of knew that that was going to happen. But the positives that have come out of that is that we ended up having a good horse together for a while and that helped me get noticed a bit and hopefully it will get me into a stronger position for next season.”

At the age of 43, the Iron Man certainly looks every bit as strong and fit as ever, and in his quest to return to the forefront of the British ranks he has the assistance of agent Shelley Dwyer, who has helped Silvestre de Sousa to win the jockeys' championship on three occasions. Callan himself is no stranger to chasing winners, and he has twice finished runner-up in the championship: in 2005 when he rode 151 winners and landed a Group 1 juvenile double for Kevin Ryan on Palace Episode (Machiavellian) and Amadeus Wolf (GB) (Mozart {Ire}), and again in 2007 when he recorded his personal high of 170.

Clearly far greater riches are on offer in Hong Kong for all participants in racing, as well as a more relaxed way of life for jockeys, with only two race meetings a week during the season. Callan's lengthy stint there was a productive one, with Group 1 wins aboard Beauty Only (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Blazing Speed (GB) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}). Towards the end it was clouded by a harsh suspension for his perceived disrespectful conduct at a stewards' enquiry, which he successfully managed to have overturned on appeal. 

He said, “I came back in July after the season ended in Hong Kong and I'm happy to be home. Most importantly the kids are getting to an age now where they had to be back here to follow their dreams. That was the most important thing and it was probably the deciding factor for me.

“The timing was right and since we've been back, of course I've had to establish myself again, but even when Frankie departed from Godolphin, I think he had to re-establish himself in a sense. He had to get himself back up. He may be one of the best jockeys in the world but nothing is ever a given and you can't take anything for granted. So I was prepared to get my head down and work my way back and get some new contacts. It's a challenge but it's one that I am enjoying.”

 

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Bahrain Turf Series Draws UK Raiders

The inaugural £550,000 10-race Bahrain Turf Series begins in the Kingdom of Bahrain on Dec. 10, and several UK trainers are sending runners to compete. Consisting of 10 £50,000 handicaps, the series will last through Feb. 18, 2022.

Based in Lambourn is trainer Jamie Osborne, who will ship in the pair of Brains (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) and Peerless (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). His daughter Saffie will help manage the horses with Osborne's assistant trainer Jimmy McCarthy.

Jamie Osborne said, “Brains will run at the first meeting on Dec. 10 in the 2000m race. He's been in good form and has won three of his last five races, so he goes there at the top of his game. He will be competing from the bottom of the handicap which gives us a bit of room to manoeuvre and I think he's going to be pretty competitive.

“Peerless was bought specifically with the Bahrain Turf Series in mind. He's bang on the 85 mark, so he will be right at the bottom of the handicap. He'll run in the six-furlong races, and is a horse that is more of a five-furlong horse in Britain, but given the configuration of the track in Bahrain, hopefully six furlongs will be his optimum trip.”

Osborne added, “We were keen to get some horses to go. I've been everywhere in the Middle East except Bahrain, so I'm very much looking forward to seeing it.”

Some of the other trainers sending horses are: Derby-winning trainer Michael Bell with Ace Rothstein (More Than Ready) and five-time winner Natural Path (Ire) (Toronado {Ire}), while Charlie Hills is represented by King's Knight (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) after running seventh with Pogo (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) in the G3 Bahrain International Trophy last month.

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International Trophy Is Just The Start For Bahrain

SAKHIR, Bahrain–Old habits die hard. Neil MacKenzie Ross may have been Clerk of the Course at Sakhir racecourse in Bahrain for the last seven years but even in 24-degree heat at 7am, the British ex-pat was easy to spot in the green wellies in which he doubtless completed plenty of laps of Lingfield when he filled the same role at the Sussex course.

“There is quite a thick dew,” he said with a defensive grin as he awaited the arrival of the 14 runners for Friday's Bahrain International Trophy for their morning exercise on the pristine turf track.

Just ahead of the horses, the chairman of the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club, Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, appeared on course to greet the growing team of international visitors at Sakhir racecourse for the big race.

In just its third year, the early highlight of Bahrain's 27-meet racing calendar has been elevated to Group 3 level for the first time in 2021 and it has attracted a cast of runners from Bahrain, Britain, Ireland, France and Germany which fully befits that status.

There are few people more passionate about the development of horse racing in Bahrain than Shaikh Isa, the grandson of the King and a lifelong equestrian who also has horses in training in Britain. Following Friday's meeting, his focus will turn to the impending start of the new 10-race Bahrain Turf Series which it is hoped will draw similar international participation. 

“I was worried when I saw Neil's wellies this morning,” said a smiling Shaikh Isa at the draw for the International Trophy. “As it was in year one with the Bahrain International, it was a strong race but people I felt were just testing the water, and now I feel they have taken the plunge in year two and year three. The Turf Series is also going in that direction.”

Worth a total of £500,000, this year's Bahrain International Trophy has drawn four Godolphin entries from three different trainers. Charlie Appleby, fresh from his Breeders' Cup treble and en route to being crowned champion trainer in Britain for the first time, fields two of those, the current favourite Zakouski (GB) (Shamardal), winner last month of the listed Ben Marshall S. on his first start for 261 days, and the 7-year-old four-time Group 1 winner Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}). The latter notched the first of those top-level wins at three in the St James's Palace S. when trained by Richard Hannon and, following a stud stint shelved through infertility, he joined Appleby's stable in  2019 and added a trio of Group 1s to his record last year in Dubai and Germany. 

Godolphin's French-trained Magny Cours (Medaglia d'Oro) is currently second-favourite for the 10-furlong contest on the back of some consistent performances this season, including a last-start win in the G3 Prix Perth and a third-place finish in the Dubai World Cup in March. The 6-year-old, who will carry the red cap from stall 10, is set to become the first runner for Andre Fabre in Bahrain. The quartet in the royal blue is completed by the Saeed Bin Suroor-trained Dubai Future (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who is the mount of Frankie Dettori. 

The betting may suggest otherwise, but the fan favourite for Friday's main event is the Turnbull family's striking grey Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper). The popular 8-year-old was last seen in winning action in the G1 Jebel Hatta in March but appears to retain plenty of enthusiasm. His trainer David O'Meara and jockey Jason Watson arrived in Bahrain on Tuesday evening, and Watson was aboard Lord Glitters as he pranced to the track in the company of Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) some 12 hours later.

“He's an older horse now but the ability is still there and he thrives out in this part of the world with the heat in his joints,” said O'Meara after drawing gate 12 for his dual Group 1 winner. 

Fellow Yorkshire-based Fev Rover is one of two 3-year-old fillies in the field and her trainer Richard Fahey has also made the trip to Bahrain. He fared better at the draw with stall four for the Nick Bradley Racing-owned filly who was third in the 1000 Guineas.

“I'm delighted to get the opportunity to run this filly over a mile and a quarter on quick ground,” said Fahey, who added with a laugh, “I've been trying to find quick ground all season in Europe and every time I've entered her it's rained all week, so I'm just warning everyone it's probably going to rain heavily tomorrow in Bahrain.”

German trainer Andreas Suborics has recently taken over the training of Penja (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) from Jean-Claude Rouget after the Group 3 winner sold for €1.2 million to Jurgen Sartori at the Arqana Arc Sale. The 3-year-old will be reunited on Friday with Cristian Demuro, who has ridden her in all five starts in France this season. 

“She only arrived in my stable six weeks ago but she arrived in perfect condition,” said Suborics of Penja after drawing stall eight. “I couldn't be happier than I am with her at the moment. She had a good, fresh canter this morning and we have a good gate number. She will love the fast ground and there's nowhere else we can find good ground at this time of the year so everything is positive so far. Of course as a 3-year-old it is not easy to run against these older, experienced group horses but we are confident that she will perform well and if she is in the first four we will be happy.”

Ireland is represented by the Jessica Harrington-trained Cadillac (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who was ridden by Shane Foley during an easy canter on the turf and who has Richie and Emma Galway and Patrick Cooper among his support crew in Bahrain this week.

Pogo (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) and Victory Chime (Ire) (Campanologist) boost the British challenge, representing the stables of Charlie Hills and Ralph Beckett respectively, while a strong local defence will be launched by leading Bahrain trainer Fawzi Nass, who won last year's International Trophy with Simsir (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}).

The leading light from Nass's trio of runners appears to be his recent recruit Emperor Of The Sun (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the 4-year-old half-brother to Zoustar (Aus) who was previously trained by Donnacha O'Brien.

“I've only had him for a few days–for the last six weeks he has been with John O'Donoghue in Ireland so we have only got to see him here for the last five or six days but he seems fine,” said Nass, who will also saddle Naamoos (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Qaader (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), while his compatriot A Jaleel Al Mallah fields the outsider What A Welcome (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}).

It is clear that the team behind racing in the Kingdom of Bahrain has its sights set on bigger things to come, starting with the launch of the £550,000 Turf Series on Dec. 10. But for now, International Pattern recognition is a source of satisfaction for Shaikh Isa.

“It's been three years in the works now and we now have our Group 3 status but we need to build on that,” he said. “We won't stop at just one Group 3.”

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