Lucander (Ire) | Horse Racing Free Tips

Box To Box Has Sights Set on Turf Series Bonus Prize

A $40,000 bonus prize is up for grabs when the fifth and final round of the 2023-24 Bahrain Turf Series takes place at the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club on Friday, February 16.

The bonus is awarded to the leading points scorer in the middle-distance division which is currently the George Scott-trained Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) with 25 points, ahead of old rival Lucander (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) on 22 points. However, neither horse is eligible to run in the Vision 2030 race (sponsored by Beyon), the final points-scoring opportunity in the middle-distance division, following rises in their handicap ratings.

Ranked third with 18 points, Box To Box (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) therefore has the potential to leapfrog the two horses above him and secure the bonus if he was to win or finish second in the Vision 2030 race. Likewise, Parlando (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) still has a chance of landing the prize having already amassed 13 points, though only a win would be good enough for him to jump to the top of the standings.

Trainer Hugo Palmer said of Box To Box, “He had five long weeks between his second and third runs and as a consequence of him training on the flat terrain and enjoying the sunshine, he did a little too well in the interim. He definitely needed the run last time out. Indeed, beforehand he was heavier than he has ever been for a race but he's lost all that now and is back to where we want him. Getting him back down to his racing weight and the step back up to 2000m will be in his favour.”

In the sprint division, Brazen Bolt (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}) holds an unassailable lead on 40 points heading into the final round and is guaranteed the $40,000 bonus, worth $25,000 to the owners and $15,000 to the trainer.

The feature race on Friday's card is the His Highness Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup (sponsored by Bapco Energies) in which Isle Of Jura and Lucander are set to go head-to-head for a fourth time this season. Lucander won the 2023 running of the Shaikh Nasser Cup but has found Isla Of Jura too strong in two of their three previous meetings, latterly in the Listed Crown Prince's Cup earlier this month.

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Nine Runners Declared For Crown Prince’s Cup

Three British-trained runners, plus two in the Godolphin blue, feature in a nine-strong field for the Listed Crown Prince's Cup (Sponsored by Cebarco) at the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club on Friday, February 2.

Charlie Appleby, who won the race in 2023 with Warren Point (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), saddles a leading contender again this year in the shape of the four-year-old Local Dynasty (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was last seen running out an emphatic winner of a handicap at Meydan. His vanquished rivals on that occasion included the same owner's Passion And Glory (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who will be back in familiar surroundings in Bahrain as he tries to reverse the form in the Crown Prince's Cup. Trained by Saeed Bin Suroor, Passion And Glory was second in the G3 Bahrain International Trophy in 2022 before winning the Listed His Majesty The King's Cup the following year.

The British challenge is made up of three horses who will also be familiar to local racegoers having taken part in the Bahrain Turf Series during the winter. The Ian Williams-trained Duc De Kent (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}) has been beaten in his two starts, but Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) and Lucander (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) have both been among the winners for George Scott and George Baker, respectively. Lucander came out on top by a short head when the pair met most recently, but Isle Of Jura is better off at the weights in the Crown Prince's Cup, leaving Scott optimistic of another bold showing in the familiar colours of His Highness Shaikh Nasser's Victorious Racing.

“Isle Of Jura has not surprised me in terms of how well he has done in Bahrain,” said Scott. “He has really thrived in the conditions and the lovely fast ground was always going to suit him.

“The plan was always to progress from the Bahrain Turf Series to the Cup races and this [2000m] is his distance, so I am very hopeful of a big run. It would mean a great deal to His Highness Shaikh Nasser to win a race as prestigious as the Crown Prince's Cup.”

Rollajam (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) will also sport the silks of Victorious Racing and is one of two runners for leading local trainer Fawzi Nass along with Bahrain Turf Series winner Zagato (GB) (Frankel {GB}). The home defence is completed by Allan Smith's American Flag (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and the Jaber Ramadhan-trained Sovereign Spirit (GB) (Le Havre {Ire}) on another significant day in the Bahrain racing calendar, with two Bahrain Turf Series races and the Bahrain Derby and Bahrain Oaks also featuring on the card.

The declared runners for the 2024 Crown Prince's Cup can be found here.

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Osborne And O’Meara Horses Split Bahrain Turf Series Bonus

Two horses, trained by Jamie Osborne and David O'Meara respectively, have each won £25,000 after the end of the Bahrain Turf Series.

The second of edition of the £50,000 Bahrain Turf Series Bonus was divided between Pot B winner Gary Allsopp Partnership's Inigo Jones (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) for Osborne, and Pot A winner Nomadic Empire (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who races for Al Mohamediya Racing. In total, £303,800 of the £600,000 Bahrain Turf Series was secured by European-trained horses, who won five of the 10-race series. Lucander (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), trained by George Baker, scooped £116,044 in prize-money throughout the Bahraini season for owners Nigel Jones and Paul Bowden. A quintet of horses were disqualified from the series due to the presence of harpagoside, a prohibited substance: The Covex Kid (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) (twice), What A Welcome (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), Fighter Pilot (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), and Mobaadel (Speightstown), and the Turf Series results and prize-money distribution were amended accordingly.

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Third International Winner As Bahrain Turf Series Concludes

Devaste (GB) (Buratino {Ire}) and Goemon (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) won the six-furlong £60,000 Al Sakhir Cup and the 2000-metre £60,000 Vision 2030 Cup, respectively, as the 2023 Bahrain Turf Series concluded on Friday.

At the conclusion of the 10-race series, a total of £182,400 (30.4%) of the £600,000 prize-money available had been won by international horses. The three international winners throughout the span of the series were Lucander (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who struck on the undercard on Friday for George Baker; Nomadic Empire (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) for David O'Meara; and King Of Conquest (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who is trained by Charlie Appleby.

His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Chairman of The Bahrain Turf Club, said, “We have welcomed more connections from around the world to The Kingdom of Bahrain this season, with 20 international horses competing in the second year of the Bahrain Turf Series. We have seen some very competitive racing throughout the Turf Series and it's been brilliant to see leading international trainers Charlie Appleby, David O'Meara and George Baker enjoy success in the Kingdom.

“We are looking forward to evolving the Tuf Series further and welcoming International connections back in Bahrain next season.”

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