Bahrain International Trophy earns ultimate G1 upgrade

Royal Ascot bids farewell following eight exciting Group 1s, and now it is Bahrain saying welcome with its Bahrain International Trophy being awarded Group 1 status.

And as Bahrain’s showpiece, its prizemoney now increases to a Group 1 level of $1.5 million, and this year is run on Friday, November 13 at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club over 2000m.

Now the nation’s first Group 1 event, it was His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Bahrain Turf Club saying: “This is a proud moment for The Kingdom of Bahrain.”

“When we established the Bahrain International Trophy in 2019 it was our ambition and belief that the race would grow to be our first Group 1 race. To have that after only seven years is fantastic.”

“Bahrain’s vision for horseracing is rooted in international collaboration, long-term development and a clear ambition to continue elevating the country’s status within the global racing landscape.”

“I would like to thank all those who have supported the race in the past and we are looking forward to welcoming more visitors and more world-class horses for the 2026 Bahrain International Trophy.”

“As the calibre of horse running in the Bahrain International Trophy has increased, so has the profile of the race. Recent notable victors include the first two-time winner of the race, Spirit Dancer.”

“Winning in both 2023 and 2024, it is now Royal Champion, a subsequent Group 1 winner for trainer Karl Burke who is currently one of the world’s top-rated horses.”

In addition, Yusuf Buheji, the CEO of the Bahrain Turf Club stated: “The Bahrain International Trophy is our flagship race and promotion to Group 1 status represents a significant step for Bahrain.”

“As well as the Bahrain International Trophy, our programme of premier races continues to grow, further increasing opportunities for international horses to compete throughout the season.”

And with Royal Ascot saying ‘you will be seeing us again next year’ it was Felicity Barnard, CEO of Ascot Racecourse, who said: “It has been a fantastic week, a real feast for everybody with us.”

“Whether you were here for racing, fashion, food or music, we knew we had momentum coming into the meeting because the racing promised to be fantastic and expected crowds to be up.”

“The crowd figure for day five was 71,610, with a meeting total to 294,541, up 2.8% on 286,541 last year, and with 634 runners across the week, bettering the previous record of 602 in 2024.”

And for a seventh time Coolmore received the leading owner award at Royal Ascot, with Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore taking the leading trainer and leading jockey awards in a magical week.

Horses representing the Coolmore partnerships of Sue Magnier, Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor, Westerberg, Peter Brant and Cayton Park Stud won a record eight times at the meeting.

“It has been a brilliant week,” said Aidan O’Brien. “A lot of people have put in a lot of hard work. I’m so grateful to the whole team for a lot of hard work.”

Responsible for seven winners, Aidan matched his previous best Royal Ascot tally set in 2016 to gain a 14th leading trainer title at the meeting, finishing the week two ahead of his son Joseph.

A landmark week for Aidan saw him record a 100th Royal Ascot success in Thursday’s Gold Cup as Scandinavia denied Trawlerman in an epic renewal of the staying showpiece.

Mission Central’s victory in the King Charles III Stakes means Aidan has now won all Group 1 races at Royal Ascot, with the Duke of Cambridge Stakes the only Group race to elude the ‘maestro.’