The third year of the 10-race Bahrain Turf Series begins at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club on Friday.
In November, Sir Alex Ferguson scored a memorable win with Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the $1-million G2 Bahrain International Trophy. A pair of owners who also have backgrounds in football, Michael Owen and Harry Redknapp, have runners in one of the first races of the Bahrain Turf Series, the Al Muharraq Cup By Texel Air over 2000 metres on the grass. Trainer Phil McEntee sends out the gelding Moktasaab (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) for Redknapp, while Hugo Palmer will saddle Box To Box (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the same race on Owen's behalf.
Running from December to February, the series provides opportunities for internationally trained runners (rated 85-100) to compete against local Bahrain based horses across 10 races. Each race is worth $80,000 with bonus prizes for the horses accumulating most points in the two divisions, sprint and middle distance. For more information on the series, please visit the Bahrain Turf Club website.