HORSERACING – A stacked eight-race card is set to feature tonight in the opening meeting of Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club’s (REHC) Golden Jubilee season.
The 2026-27 calendar at the world-class Sakhir turf track boasts an action-packed schedule of 30 events, kicking off with this evening’s races, to be held under REHC’s bright lights from 5.30pm onwards.
All of today’s races are to be held in honour of the Late Shaikh Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The programme is to be headlined by the Late HH Shaikh Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa Graded Stakes in race two and the Late HH Shaikh Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa Opening Day Cup in race three, both of which offer BD5,000 in prize money.
The second event of the day is for imported horses aged three years old and above.
A field of six is entered, representing leading stables such as Al Adiyat Racing, Al Mohamediya Racing, and Al Afoo Racing.
They will be battling it out over 1,400 metres.
In race three, a large field of 18 Bahrain-bred contenders aged three and up will be competing over 1,600m.
Adiyat, Mohamediya, and Afoo are once again represented, along with other racing yards such as Victorious Forever and M and E Racing, along with those owned by Abdulla Fawzi Nass, Shaikh Isa bin Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa, and Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa, to name a few.
Meanwhile, races five through seven will each have BD3,000 in prizes, with the trophies on offer being the Late HH Shaikh Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa Sprint Cup, the Late HH Shaikh Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa Bahrain Bred Sprint Cup, and the Late HH Shaikh Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa Cup.
Elsewhere on this evening’s card, the first race is for the Late HH Shaikh Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa Waho Cup, race four is for the Late HH Shaikh Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa Mile, and the final event, scheduled for a 9pm start, is for the Late HH Shaikh Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa Bahrain Bred Handicap Cup. These three races offer BD2,000 apiece in prizes.
REHC’s Golden Jubilee season is to be headlined by the His Majesty the King’s Cup Festival on March 4 and 5 and the His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s Cup Festival on January 28 and 29, both of which will feature prestigious Group Three races, along with the Group One Bahrain International Trophy, to be held on November 13.
Other major races this season include five Listed races, namely the HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup on February 2, the HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup on December 18, the Al Adiyat Cup on January 15, the Al Methaq Mile on March 5, and the Bahrain Gold Cup on April 16.
The hugely popular Bahrain Turf Series will also be returning with an expanded schedule, with the number of races increasing from 12 to 14 through the introduction of a dedicated mile division to go along with the middle-distance and sprint.
The series will be staged across several rounds from December to March.
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