HORSERACING – LORD Montague and Dubai Bling won the final two races of the 2025-26 Bahrain Turf Series last night, held as part of the first day of the His Majesty the King’s Cup Festival at Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club (REHC) in Sakhir.
The two-day spectacle is the last international meeting of the REHC season. Its feature race is The King’s Cup – a Group Three event for imported horses, to be held today offering $400,000 in prize money and run in honour of His Majesty King Hamad.
Yesterday’s action got the festival underway in exciting fashion.
Lord Montague won The International Handicap on the night’s sixth of eight races, while Dubai Bling lifted the Al Fateh Cup, sponsored by Bapco Energies, in race five.
Competing amongst an imported field, Lord Montague took the 2,000m, middle-distance event – carrying $100,000 in winnings – for owners Al Adiyat Racing and trainers Daniel and Claire Kubler. Jockey Ebrahim Nader steered the four-year-old gelding to first place, winning by a mere half-a-length from runner-up Salamanca Lad, competing for Al Afoo Racing, Jaber Ramadhan, and Lee Newman.
Azka finished third for Azka Racing, Fawzi Nass, and Stephane Ladjadj, while Merlin’s Beard was fourth for Al Mohamediya Racing, Osama Hashim, and Qasim Jameel.
Meanwhile, Dubai Bling triumphed in the Al Fateh Cup – a sprint-distance race held over a 1,200m straight and also offering $100,000 for the imported runners. The four-year-old gelding took first place by a neck for owner Hussey Owen Wholey and trainer Hugo Palmer, with Ladjadj in the saddle.
Redemption Time followed right behind in second place for Afoo, Ramadhan, and Benoit De La Sayette. Desert Cop came third for Turf Club 2024, George Baker, and Franky Vanhonsebrouck, while Alzahir was fourth for Adiyat, the Kublers, and Abdulla Faisal.
Elsewhere last night, Ecosystem claimed the Coolmore Cup in the seventh and penultimate event, held over 1,600m with $12,000 in prize money.
The eight-year-old gelding took first place for Mohammed Khalid Abdulrahim, Haider Ebrahim, and De La Sayette, finishing ahead of Mr Irrelevant, competing for Mohamediya and Nass, with Neil Callan as the jockey. Pure Dreamer was third for the Adiyat-Kublers-Nader triumvirate, while Brooklyn Nine Nine took fourth place for Rashed Racing, Yousif Alboainain, and Ali Isa.
In other events yesterday, Jarham won the Lexus Cup, Luna lifted the Grand Seiko-Bahrain Jewellery Centre Cup, Rabdan 1943 took the Gulf Air Cup, Fury clinched the Sheraton Bahrain Hotel Cup, and Tomahawk won the BBC Studios Cup.
In today’s action in the His Majesty the King’s Cup Festival, the main race for The King’s Cup will be contested over 2,400m by a field of nine world-class imported horses. It is scheduled for a 6.30pm start at REHC as the sixth of eight races this evening.
There will be two other races offering The King’s Cup – the first in race one is for Arabian horses, to be run over 1,600m with $20,000 in winnings; and the second in race five is for Bahrain-bred horses, to be contested across 2,400m with $55,000 in prizes on offer.
Also today, the Listed Al Methaq Mile with $120,000 up for grabs will take place in the seventh race, while other events include the GFH Cup, the Bapco Energies Cup, The Chairman’s Cup by BINAA, and The Avenues-Bahrain Cup.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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