Lord Glitters Shines in Bahrain International Trophy

The old guy ruled in the third running of the Bahrain International Trophy (G3) Nov. 19 at Sakhir Racecourse.

Eight-year-old Lord Glitters  came roaring down the middle of the course through the final 200 meters and just did get by Barney Roy  in the final strides to pick up his third win of 2021. Magny Cours  was third and 3-year-old filly Fev Rover  finished fourth.

With group 1 winners filling the top two slots and international raiders finishing first through ninth, the outcome franked the decision earlier this year by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities to grant group 3 status to the Trophy and to elevate Bahrain racing to Part II of its Blue Book.

"To have had two group 1 winners fighting out the finish was very special. On paper, it looked a very strong renewal for a group 3 and so it proved," said Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club's executive director Shaikh Salman bin Rashed Alkhalifa.

"Lord Glitters and Barney Roy are very well-known horses who have won group 1 races in multiple countries. It was a thrilling race to watch, and we are very excited to see how the race can progress in future years."

For most of the race, Lord Glitters looked an unlikely winner. Bearing a three-pound penalty for an earlier group 1 triumph in Dubai, the striking light gray gelding took station at the rear of the field all the way into the home straight, then faced a solid wall of traffic in front of him.

Jason Watson, riding in place of Lord Glitters' injured regular pilot, Danny Tudhope, eased his mount to the outside—once, twice, and again—and did not find daylight until he was outside the leaders. Barney Roy, meanwhile, had put his neck in front of Magny Cours and seemed en route to victory before Lord Glitters charged past to win by half a length. Magny Cours was a neck back in third.

"We went hard early on and the main job was to get him to relax, and he relaxed very well for me," Watson said. "At halfway, they slowed right up to give the horses who were making the pace a breather, but that also enabled us to have a breather.

"The best horse to follow in my opinion was Barney Roy, so I tracked him through and once we found clear daylight, we just mowed them down. He kept going right to the line. He's such a genuine horse, and I'm just really, really happy."

The emergence of the Bahrain International Trophy on the global racing scene augurs well for plans to blend the well-funded Middle Eastern racing program into a better-coordinated and more inviting circuit in the coming years. Racing officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, along with others, said recently they expect an announcement about those plans within months.

Lord Glitters already is a fixture on that circuit and trainer David O'Meara said age isn't yet getting in the way of his continuing.

"He did well in Dubai last year and that is the plan again if he comes out of this race well," O'Meara said. "The Saudi Cup meeting is an option now so we will bring him home and see how he is and start planning for that."

A son of Whipper  out of the Homme de Loi mare Lady Glitters, Lord Glitters has compiled a record of 9-10-5 for earnings of $2,392,473. His biggest career victories were in the 2019 Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Ascot Racecourse and the Jebel Hatta Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) at Meydan Racecourse.