'We're itching to win it' - Israr heads British challenge for £820,000 Bahrain International Trophy on Friday

Israr will chase more riches for British champion trainers-elect John and Thady Gosden on Friday in the Bahrain International Trophy, which this year has been promoted to Group 2 status.

The mile-and-a-quarter race has had a prize-money boost to $1million (£820,000/€930,000) and also features Godolphin's multiple Group 1 winner Nations Pride, trained by Charlie Appleby.

Israr had some easy exercise on Sunday morning as he prepared to give owners Shadwell Estate further success after they were recently crowned the 2023 champion owners in Britain.

Israr’s contribution to their season included victory in the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes (sponsored by The Kingdom of Bahrain) at Newmarket in July, when he beat former Derby winner Adayar. His last race was a close second in the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot in early October.

Joint-trainer John Gosden said: “We are confident Israr will run a really nice race over the mile and a quarter. It’s a very competitive field, but so it should be. It’s an exciting, lovely race, well timed in the calendar and the prize-money has been increased, so that makes it even more attractive. We’ve been second in it, so we're itching to win it one day.”

On Shadwell’s season, he added: “They've had an incredibly successful year. It's huge achievement on the part of everyone at Shadwell to be leading owner and a lot of that success has been down to the older, homebred horses, such as Israr. 

"Since Sheikh Hamdan died, his daughter Sheikha Hissa has taken hold of the operation and her father would be extremely proud of her.”

John Gosden: "We are confident Israr will run a really nice race"Credit: Alan Crowhurst

Nations Pride was last seen winning the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine in October after which it was announced he would tackle the Bahrain International Trophy rather than head to the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Appleby also saddles recent Group 3 Darley Stakes winner Highland Avenue. 

The Godolphin challenge will be supplemented by two Saeed bin Suroor-trained horses, last year's Bahrain International Trophy winner Dubai Future, and Real World.

Also representing Britain are the Richard Fahey-trained Spirit Dancer, co-owned and bred by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who won York's Group 3 Strensall Stakes, and Cambridgeshire winner Astro King, trained by husband-and-wife team Dan and Claire Kubler.

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