It is said the Bahrain International Trophy is ‘where champions meet’ and now legendary Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore meet again at Rashid Horseracing Club on Friday 20 November.
In both riding for Europe’s most powerful stables Frankie Dettori takes the mount on the John Gosden trained Global Giant for owners Al Adliyat Racing of Bahrain.
Ideally draw in barrier 6, and therefore carrying 6 saddle cloth, both Frankie and Global Giant are coming off a third in the Rose of Lancaster Stakes, having won the Steventon Stakes.
By farewelling his duel Prix de l ‘Arc de Triomphe heroine Enable in winning a third King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Frankie also won a third Ascot Gold Cup on Stradivarius in June.
Although Global Giant has not achieved the success of Enable and Stradivarius for John Gosden, he did contribute two wins to the Newmarket trainers fifth British Champion Trainers title.
In training both Enable and Stradivarius, John Gosden has a 2021 Epsom Derby victory in sight with Golden Horne’s relative Megallan, having won with Golden Horne in 2015 and Workforce in 1997.
Champion British and Irish jockey Ryan Moore will have the 2019 Irish Derby winner Sovereign jumping from barrier 11, having been third to Enable in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Based in England due to COVID restricting international travel to Ireland, Ryan Moore this year won the Epsom Oaks, 1000 Guineas and Yorkshire Oaks on the Aiden O’Brien trained Love.
In being the first time Aiden O’Brien having had a runner in Bahrain, owners Coolmore supplemented Sovereign ‘as he is a very strong mile and-a-quarter galloper who likes to go forward in his races.’
And both Aiden O’Brien and Coolmore have come to the Bahrain International high on the success of Order of Australia leading a stable trifecta in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile at Keeneland.
Hollie Doyle becomes the first female to ride in the Bahrain International, and has Japan’s ageless mare Deirde jumping from barrier 13 of 14 runners, for trainer Mitsuru Hashida.
In scoring her first Group 1 success on Glen Shiel in the British Champions Sprint Stakes, it was on Royal Dragon that she rode her first Royal Ascot winner in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes.
Andrea Atzeni rides duel Canadian International winner Desert Encounter for David Simcock, with David O’Meara having Daniel Tudhope ride his Queen Anne Stakes winner Lord Glitters.
Always highly competitive, Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor has British Champion Oisin Murphy riding Jebel Hatta winner Dream Castle, and William Buick is on Loxley for Charlie Appleby.
Andrew Balding and King Power Racing have Silvestre de Sousa on duel stakes winner Bangkok, and are looking for a change in fortune having Pivoine finishing sixth last year.
Also from Britain, it’s Ben Curtis on Certain Lad for Mike Channon, while representing Ireland it’s the James ‘Fozzy’ Stack trained Lady Wannabe to be ridden by Jamie Spencer.
Bahrain has the Fawzi Nass trained and Adrie de Vties ridden Port Lions looking for his sixth straight win, while Simsir is to be ridden by Lee Newman, both owned by Victorious Stables.
Also owned by Victorious is What A Welcome to be ridden by David Egan for trainer Hesham Al Haddad, and the Haider Ebrahim trained Coolagh Forest by jockey John Egan for MKAR Racing.
‘We are absolutely delighted with the class of horses that we have attracted to this year’s Bahrain International Trophy,’ stated Sheikh Salman bin Rashed Al-Khalifa, Executive Director of Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club.
‘To have five individual Group 1 winners in the field compared to only one last year shows the leap in quality. We are very grateful to the trainers and owners for placing their trust in Bahrain and we very much look forward to welcoming them to Bahrain.’