William Jarvis looked perplexed as he tried to find a particular image on his mobile phone.
“Here, let me do it for you,” Lynda, his partner of 20 years, said as she took the phone from him and scrolled through pictures and videos of horses – and more horses.
“He’s better at training horses than he is with technology,” she said, smiling along with Jarvis who now looked relieved.
Jarvis, 61, was in Bahrain because a horse he trained for Little Staughton Farms Limited had competed in the recently concluded inaugural Bahrain Turf Series – an internationally-acclaimed 10-race competition that had stretched from December until the final two races on February 18.
“I’m a very nice person,” the English horse trainer said, mock-seriously, as he relaxed by the pool-side at his hotel two days after the series concluded. “But I hate finishing second.”
But he was not peeved when Arqoob, the horse he had trained for the Turf Series – with the races specifically targeting international horses rated 85-100 – finished in third place, not even second, in the Vision 2030 Cup, the last race of the series.
“He’s a good horse,” Jarvis said, referring to the four-year-old colt. “It’s unfortunate that he didn’t manage to win any of the races because he ran well consistently.”
Arqoob’s consistency did not go unrewarded, however.
While each of the 10 races was allocated £50,000 in prize money, with the winners bagging £30,000, a unique bonus point system ensured that, even if a particular horse didn’t win any of the races but accumulated more points than the others by the end of the series, the owner and trainer of the horse would reap a healthy cash prize.
“There were two pots for two categories of races,” Jarvis explained. “Arqoob was in pot B, which was for the 9/10f division. The prize was £25,000, with £15,000 going to the owner and £10,000 to the trainer. By the end of the series, Arqoob had the most points in our division so, even though he didn’t actually win a race, his consistent form meant that we won that pot!”
Arqoob owner Richard Banks’ daughter, Emma, who was present at the track for the colt’s race couldn’t contain her delight after the winner of the bonus pot was announced.
“What a fantastic bonus to keep him out here,” she said, shortly afterwards. “He hasn’t won yet but he’s been ultra-consistent. It’s a really interesting way the points have worked out and makes for an interesting end to the series.”
Jarvis, a fourth-generation horse trainer, said he didn’t mind the fact that Arqoob hadn’t won an actual race.
“He did well and promises to do even better in future,” Jarvis said. “Richard has provided us massive support and Kieran Shoemark, our jockey, has been a real star in the way he’s ridden Arqoob.
“And, for us, being in Bahrain for the first time has been a wonderful experience. We came here in December and have shuttled back and forth from the UK several times for the races.”
The Bahrain Turf Series encouraged trainers to set up a satellite yard in Bahrain, basing their horses in the region from December to February with access to top-class training facilities. The new series ran alongside the best horse races in Bahrain, including the prestigious King’s Cup, the Crown Prince’s Cup and the National Day Grade 1 races.
Jarvis was effusive in his praise for the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club (REHC) – recently rebranded as the Bahrain Turf Club.
“It is at par with the best international race-courses in the world,” he said. “The track is maintained to a very high standard and the quarantine stables are top-class. A trainer couldn’t ask for more!”
With horse-training in his blood – his grandfather trained horses for King George VI and his father, Ryan Jarvis, was a top-flight trainer from the 1950s to the late 1970s – Jarvis should know how to recognise a good track and top-level facilities.
Since he obtained his racing licence in 1985 at the age of 24, he has trained over 500 winners worldwide. The crowning glory, he said, was the victory of a horse he trained named Grand Lodge which galloped to a stunning win at Royal Ascot in 1994.
Hailing from Newmarket in Suffolk – “It is known as the horse training capital of the world,” Jarvis said – he is one of the town’s longest-serving trainers. He is also one of the most successful with his Phantom House Stables producing an assembly-line of winners over the years.
At the hotel in Bahrain, as he sat by the pool with a cup of tea at his elbow, Jarvis soaked in the winter sun as a couple of youngsters frolicked in the water behind him.
“We’re heading back to England early tomorrow morning,” Jarvis said. “But we’ve already decided that we shall come back soon – and keep on returning. Bahrain is wonderful, the people here are warm and welcoming, we’ve been made to feel so special by everyone we’ve met, including the hotel staff who’ve taken such good care of us.”
The highlight of his visit, apart from the bonus prize, Jarvis said, had been the opportunity to meet His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
“It was a great privilege to be granted an audience by him,” Jarvis said. “He was kind and generous with his time and very knowledgeable about horses and horse racing.”
Jarvis also lavished praise upon REHC chairman Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, whom he also had the opportunity to meet.
“He is a perfect gentleman,” Jarvis said. “He made sure that all the foreign participants were well-looked after and that the races were conducted to the highest international standards.”
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