Hear the full interview
From 16:08 in Tuesday’s episode of Nick Luck Daily. Press play to start at the interview.
Shaikh Isa says he is “very proud” that the Bahrain International Trophy has become the kingdom’s first international Group 1, with $1.5 million on offer at the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club on Friday.
The race was first run in 2019 and has worked its way up through Group 3 and Group 2. Nick was told at the track that the first winner would not even have made this year’s 13-runner field. “I believe we spoke in year one, saying this was our long-term aspiration,” Shaikh Isa told Nick Luck at the track. “It felt a long way off then. But trust isn’t built overnight, and the Bahraini racing community and the thoroughbred industry as a whole hold a lot of respect in Europe and around the world. That only makes our job easier as a turf club to attract people to Bahrain.”
‘The equivalent of Formula One’
Shaikh Isa says the idea goes back to His Majesty the King’s vision when the racecourse was built in the early 1980s. “It was His Majesty’s vision for us to host international, world-class events,” he said. “When I came back from university and got into my riding and looking after the Arabian breeding programme, we wanted to go faster, and I got hooked on thoroughbred racing and wanted to bring that to Bahrain.”
He compares it to the Crown Prince bringing Formula One to Bahrain. “We want to bring Group 1 races, which are basically the equivalent of Formula One, and keep attracting bigger and better horses,” he said.
Nick reminded listeners that Shaikh Isa used to go jump racing at Exeter and Newton Abbot during his time at Dartmouth, and once pulled into a lay-by to watch a race at Exeter on his phone. “After bringing a Group 1 to the kingdom of Bahrain, road safety is my second highest priority, so I did stop,” he laughed. “But you must have passion in order to succeed at anything in life.”
“The last 200 metres of a race, when your horse is in with a chance, you lose all control of your emotions. It’s the biggest thrill one can get.”
Shaikh Isa
More than one day a year
What pleases him most is that Bahrain now has a full international season rather than a single big day. “We don’t just have one day where people turn up in Bahrain, fly home, and we don’t see them again until the Craven meeting,” he said. “The Crown Prince’s Cup is now an international Group 3, and the King’s Cup likewise. There are races throughout the calendar, so people can come out and stay, and take part in international races at all levels. And there’s good prize money if you’re going to go up 10, 15 or 20 pounds in a handicap. You won’t find that anywhere else in Europe.”
He also praised trainers Dan and Claire Kubler, who have been based in Bahrain for just over a year. “They’ve been absolute superstars for me and the team,” he said. “This time last year they hadn’t had their first runner. Since then we’ve placed in all the major races here, won two Turf Series and won international stakes races. They’ve built a very strong team with a real team ethos, and they’re developing our champion Bahraini jockey Ebrahim Nader very well.”
“Bahraini riders are now going around the world and winning races,” he added. “Hopefully they become role models for younger Bahraini riders, so they see there is a career path and a good living to be made from it.”
