Bahrain’s equestrian strides hailed at Newmarket Festival

TDT | Manama                                               

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club (REHC) High Committee chairman His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa attributed the local, regional and international strides achieved by the sport of horseracing in Bahrain to the care of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, with the support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

HH Shaikh Isa stressed the keenness of REHC in supporting the annual Bahrain Trophy, as part of the prominent Newmarket Festival in the UK.

“The race witnesses a great turnout of jockeys and horse owners from different countries of the world to vie for the victory,” he said, congratulating all the cup winners and wishing them continued success in various events. The £200,000 Group 3 Bahrain Trophy was held Thursday as part of Newmarket’s Moet and Chandon July Festival in the UK, in the presence of REHC High Committee member HH Shaikh Sultan Al Deen bin Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa.

“Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club High Committee, chaired by HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, continues to support horse races and bolster their contributions regionally and internationally, thus consolidating Bahrain’s standing in the equestrian sport,” said HH Shaikh Sultan Al Deen.

HH Shaikh Sultan Al Deen presented the trophy to the representative of the K K Ho stable, which triumphed in the race, and awarded the prizes also to trainer James Ferguson and jockey Daniel Muscutt, winners in the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy.

The Bahrain Trophy was held for a distance of 2,600 meters, with the participation of a number of third-class horses. Deauville Legend managed to win first place after a strong and exciting three-way competition in the last meters and was decided on the finish line.

Deauville Legend had a slight difference from Al Qareem, which finished second. ‘A cool ride’ After the win, Ferguson said: “[Deauville Legend] travelled well. He had come on for that run at Ascot. I thought Danny gave him a cool ride and he stayed every yard of the trip.

“I’m just so grateful to the owner (K K Ho). He is a huge international owner who has been a big supporter of mine pretty much since I’ve started. We will just get back and have a chat with the owner and see what the plan is. I don’t want to put my thoughts into one race at the moment. We’ve obviously got Goodwood to look at and there is also York. There are plenty of good opportunities.

“I would say he was a little unlucky at Ascot but also that he was beaten by a very good horse. When it is a photo, it could go either way. I’m not too bothered about it now. I was gutted after Ascot, but I’m just delighted now.

“Credit to the team back at home. He stayed every yard of the trip, but I still think he has the speed to go a mile and a half. I’ve not had a massive chat with Danny since, but I would be interested to see what he says.

“We could go travelling as he is pretty straightforward. He is not a horse that I would have said would have been good at travelling early in his career. He is maturing with every race, and I couldn’t be prouder of him.” ‘Nice rhythm’ Successful jockey Muscutt, who got married at the weekend and lives in nearby Cheveley, added: “He found a nice rhythm from the gate.

He is pretty uncomplicated in the race, the hardest part was getting him in the stalls, but he seems to be getting better each start. “I was mindful the pace did drop off halfway. He is a horse with a big stride and that is a key asset of him. I could sense Ryan (Moore, rider of 9-4 Favourite Zechariah) making headway into the race and I didn’t want to get caught behind Owen Burrows horse (Green Team).

“I knew Al Qareem would keep going and I used that as a bit of a target, but I picked him up nicely going into the dip and my guy lengthened away nicely. He hit the rising ground strong and stuck at it really well when they came back to fight him towards the end.

He was really sticking his neck out so he might have been just looking for a bit of company. “That would be the biggest winner of my career to date, and it is so nice to do it for James who is a big supporter of mine as is the owner. It is great to do it at my home track too.”

The Bahrain Trophy in Britain is one of the important annual races that the prominent Newmarket Racecourse has witnessed for 40 continuous years, reflecting the close historical relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the friendly UK across various fields, specially equestrian sport and horse racing.

This long-standing relation is embodied in the continuous cooperation in this field between the REHC and the British Newmarket Club in many aspects related to horseracing.