An expansion of the Turf Series was announced by the Bahrain Turf Club on Thursday, as well as the installation of floodlights ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The Bahrain Turf Series, which was launched in 2021, will now comprise of 12 races worth a total of $1 million, with a further $80,000 available in bonuses. The programme will start on the later date of December 20 and run until March 7, with an additional two handicaps, each worth $100,000, set to be run at the season's finale, where the feature event is the King's Cup.
The extension of the Bahrain Turf Series means that all the premier races in the second half of the season now fall within the dates of the international programme. This makes it easier for horses to follow the path taken by last season's break-out star, Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who graduated from Bahrain Turf Series handicaps to pattern races when winning the Crown Prince's Cup and the King's Cup, both of them holding Listed status.
His Highness Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, chairman of the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club, said, “I am pleased to announce both an expansion of the Bahrain Turf Series and the introduction of floodlit racing, a bold initiative that will elevate the spectacle of racing in Bahrain to a new level and enable our season to continue to flourish.
“For the first time, our most prestigious races, including the Crown Prince's Cup and the King's Cup, will all fall within the Bahrain Turf Series calendar. The move, coupled with the new floodlights, provides more flexibility to the race programme, and is intended to make racing in Bahrain an even more attractive and compelling proposition to international visitors.”
The 2024 running of the Kingdom's most valuable race, the $1-million G2 Bahrain International Trophy, will take place on Friday, November 15 at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club. Entries close at noon on Wednesday, October 2.
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