The King’s Cup, the feature event of the Bahraini season, stayed at home on Friday [March 7] when locally trained Sovereign Spirit scored from a cosmopolitan field to claim the $200,000 contest, newly upgraded to G3 status for the first time.
Trained by Jaber Ramadhan and ridden by Tomas Lukasek for owners Al-Afoo Racing, the five-year-old started his career in the UK for Andrew Balding. scoring at LIngfield (twice) and Beverley.
In a steadily run race in which it paid to be close to the pace, Sovereign Spirit kicked for home early in the straight before holding Zagato by a half-length, with Godolphin’s King Of Conquest another 3¾ lengths back in third in the 2,400-metre (1m4f) contest sponsored by BAPCO Energies.
“I have been waiting twenty years for the King’s Cup,” said jubilant winning trainer Ramadhan. “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.”
Sovereign Spirit’s may now be raised, with the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic on World Cup night at Meydan now on the table. Ramadhan added: “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 … the Sheema Classic, why not?”
Earlier on the card, the six-year-old Goemon (Haider Ebrahim/Ebrahim Nader) confirmed his status as the kingdom’s leading miler with his fourth win of the season in the Al Methaq Mile.
The two-day King’s Cup meeting kicked off on Thursday evening [March 6] with the final two legs of the Bahrain Turf Series.
Victory in the $100,000 for Soldier’s Empire (Marco Botti/Neil Callan) was enough to secure $40,000 bonus for overall first place in the middle-distance series. In a race completely dominated by European visitors, the four-year-old overcame a wide draw to hit the front in the closing stages to thwart Mr Alan and Killybegs Warrior in a clean sweep for British-trained horses.
Despite finishing only ninth behind surprise winner Nationwide (Fawzi Nass/Stephane Ladjadj) in the Al Fateh, the sprint division went to Roman Dragon, trained by Hugo Palmer for owners Nick Hughes and Michael Owen.
• Visit the Bahrain Turf Club website
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