The Bahrain International Trophy has been upgraded to international Group 3 status and Bahrain has been promoted to Part II of the Blue Book following approval by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA).
The International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC) and the Asian Pattern Committee (APC), have also awarded Listed status to Al Methaq Cup, His Majesty the King’s Cup and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s Cup.
The upgrade of these four races comes at an exciting time for horseracing in Bahrain with the upcoming third running of The Bahrain International Trophy on November 19 and the start of the new Bahrain Turf Series that commences on December 10.
This important development is attributed to the continuous support the Bahraini horseracing industry receives from His Majesty King Hamad and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and is underpinned by the backing of the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club’s (REHC) High Committee under the chairmanship of Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
REHC executive director Shaikh Salman bin Rashid Al Khalifa said: “We are thrilled that the Bahrain International Trophy has been upgraded to Group 3 status. The annual race ratings over the last two years have increased and the strength and quality of the race has been extremely high since the first running in 2019.
The directives and leadership of Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa played a central role in securing this achievement and we are looking forward to developing the Bahraini horseracing industry in the next phase.”
“Last year we had numerous individual Group 1 winners and now with the race officially a Group 3 we look forward to building on this and attracting a strong lineup of international runners,” Shaikh Salman added.