HORSERACING – IN front of His Majesty King Hamad, the 2025 running of His Majesty the King’s Cup produced a memorable result on Friday night, with victory going to the locally trained Sovereign Spirit.
The outcome ended the 20-year wait of winning trainer Jaber Ramadhan to lift the coveted trophy. The 2,400-metre race is the most prestigious prize in Bahrain’s racing calendar, worth $200,000 and sponsored by Bapco Energies.
Also in attendance with His Majesty were His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister; His Majesty’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sport (SCYS) chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa; SCYS first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa; and Isa Bin Salman Education Charitable Trust chairman, Labour Fund (Tamkeen) chairman, and Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club (REHC) chairman Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
This year’s edition of the His Majesty the King’s Cup, sponsored by Bapco Energies, was even more notable with it being the first running of the race since it was promoted to international Group Three status.
It was an emotional result for Ramadhan and a deserved success for five-year-old Sovereign Spirit, who has been such a consistent performer this season.
“I have been waiting 20 years for The King’s Cup,” Ramadhan said after the race. “It was not easy but we are so glad to have the winner on a special day like today, in front of His Majesty.
“It was a high-class race and I have respect for all the other trainers, jockeys and horses.
“It is great to have a good owner to support you, Al Afoo Racing, and I am very happy for the owner and the team.”
The race had attracted a suitably competitive and international field, however, it was Bahrain-trained Sovereign Spirit who triumphed, with former winner Zagato in second place for Al Mohamediya Racing, and the Dubai-based King Of Conquest back in third for Godolphin.
In a steadily run race, it paid to be close to the pace, and jockey Tomas Lukasek on Sovereign Spirit did everything right, kicking for home early in the home straight and keeping enough in reserve to hold off the late challenge of Zagato.
The international horses Phantom Flight in fourth and Military Academy in seventh both pulled too hard and had too much
ground to make up, having been held up off the slow pace.
On the back of this Group Three success, Ramadhan revealed his hopes for the future may include a trip to Dubai on World Cup night. “Today was going to be Sovereign Spirit’s final run of the season but if another opportunity was to come along, we are ready for it, and the Sheema Classic, why not?” he said.
Earlier on the card, the dashing grey Goemon confirmed his status as the kingdom’s leading miler with an emphatic success in the Listed Al Methaq Mile. Until this season, the six-year-old had largely been campaigned over middle distances but since being dropped back in trip he has taken his form to a new level and become a wonderful flag-bearer for owner Mohammed Khalid Adbulrahim and trainer Haider Ebrahim.
With jockey Ebrahim Nader replacing the injured Alberto Sanna, Goemon followed up his excellent third in the Group Two 1351 Turf Sprint in Riyadh, with a convincing three-length Listed win in Bahrain – his first international pattern success and Goemon’s fourth win of the season.
Connections of Oliver Show, trained by George Boughey and ridden by Billy Loughnane, were rewarded for their ambition in running by finishing second and collecting $20,000, while General Panic ran with great credit representing Qatar and was a further short-head back in third.
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