The latest addition to the Group 1 calendar is the Bahrain International Trophy, run over 1m2f with $1,500,000 in prize money. A field of twelve will go to post. Five English, two Irish, and three French will take on two locally trained horses.

The English

Wimbledon Hawkeye leads the market, the mount of Christophe Smoullion from the George Scott stable in England. He’s a classy individual who has improved throughout his 4-year-old season.

At Royal Ascot, he was beaten a ½L by Map of Stars in the Wolverton Stakes. In Munich, he went down a ½L to Hotazhell in the G1 Dallmayr-Preis – Bayerisches Zuchtrennen; at Deauville he beat Map of Stars at G3 level; at Leopardstown he went down a nose to Hotazhell in the G1 Irish Champion Stakes; at Longchamp he won the G2 Prix Dollar beating Zaydann; all runs were over 10f.

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Royal Champion, trained by Karl Burke, is the mount of Clifford Lee. He won this last year, beating Galen ¾L with Military Order 1¼L back in third. He followed up in the G1 Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh over 1m2½f in February, winning comfortably by 4¾L, beating Facteur Cheval. In April at Sha Tin in the G1 QEII Cup, he finished fourth behind Romantic Warrior, beaten 2¾L. In July he ran fourth behind Item in the Sky Bet York Stakes, beaten 5½L.

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Seagulls Eleven from the Hugo Palmer stable will be ridden by James Doyle. He won a Listed contest at Longchamp in May over 1m and then won the G3 Diomed Stakes at Epsom in June. He went down a ¾L in the G2 Summer Mile at Ascot to Zeus Olympios, finishing third. At York in the G1 Sussex Stakes, he was well beaten, finishing down the field behind Bow Echo; however, he did show signs of post-race ataxia, wobbling caused by overheating. At Goodwood in the G2 Celebration Mile soft ground was his undoing when finishing last. Back on a good surface in the Prix Dollar, he finished third to Wimbledon Hawkeye, beaten ¾L.

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Hugo Palmer is double-handed, also running Glacius under Billy Loughnane. He’s built on two solid efforts when third in the G3 Hampton Court at Royal Ascot and in a Listed event at Sandown when third to Sallaal. He then took the G1 Saratoga Derby before finishing second in the G2 Nashville Derby Invitational Stakes, beaten 1½L

Military Order trained by Charlie Appleby, the mount of William Buick, completes the English raiding party. Since finishing third here last year, he’s only had the one run. He made his seasonal debut at Dundalk in September, winning a Listed race, scooting up by 9½L.

The Irish

Lambourn, trained by Aidan O’Brien, the mount of Ryan Moore, won the Derby and Irish Derby last year. This year, over this trip, he made a pleasing comeback, winning the G2 Huxley Stakes at Chester. Since, he’s been employed as a pacemaker for fancied stablemates. At Epsom in the G1 Coronation Cup, at Royal Ascot in the G2 Hardwicke Stakes, at Ascot in the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and again at Leopardstown in the Irish Champion Stakes, he was asked to go on and set the fractions. He did stay on well in the King George, finishing fourth to Kalpana, beaten 4½L.

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Galen is the Joseph O’Brien representative under Dylan Brown McGonagle. He’s had three runs since finishing second last year. He finished last in the Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh, beaten 24L, then fourth in the Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot, then was a game winner of a Conditions Stakes at Goodwood last time out.

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The French

Phineas represents the Andre and Lavina Fabre stable and will be ridden by Maxime Guyon. He’s a progressive sort, winning four on the bounce, including two at Listed level and the G3 Prix du Prince d’Orange at Longchamp, before finishing sixth in the Prix Dollar, beaten 2¾L by Wimbledon Hawkeye.

The Farbe father-and-daughter combination is also responsible for Baroud with Pierre-Charles Boudot in the saddle. The only three-year-old in the field. He was a Maiden winner in April, finished fifth in the Prix Hocquart over 1m3f, then ran second in the G2 Prix Eugene Adam at Saint Cloud before booking his place here when taking the G2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano in August at Deauville when an easy 2L winner.

Henri François Gaffard sends Zaydaan in the Aga Khan silks under Mickael Barzalona. A Listed win in April at Bordeaux and a win in the G3 Grand Prix de Vichy set him up for a tilt at the Juddmonte International, where he finished fifth, 7L behind Item.

The Locals

Ali Abdulmajeed’s Hi Royal with David Probert in the saddle and Fawzi Abdulla Nass’s Calif with Benoit De La Sayette in the plate will try to keep the prize at home. The six- and seven-year-olds are up against it in this company. Hi Royal, in his classic year, finished second in the 2000 Guineas to Chaldean and third to Paddington in the Irish 2000 Guineas. Last time out, he was an easy winner of the Bahrain Gold Cup (Local Grade 1), with Calif 3¾L back in third, who was a winner of the 2024 G1 Dallmayr-Preis – Bayerisches Zuchtrennen at Munich.

Conclusion

This is a competitive affair, and cases can be made for a good few.

Royal Champion has been laid out for this; however, he’s been off since early July. Military Order likewise comes here fresh and was very impressive on the all-weather at Dundalk when blowing away any cobwebs.

The Irish pair aren’t out of it; Galen ran a cracker here last year to be second and was a good winner last time, while Lambourn will run on his merits, and his Huxley run gives hope.

Baroud was asleep at Deauville, but when woken up, showed a clean pair of heels to his more fancied opposition.

There’s merit to Glacius’s two runs in America, and he could further improve.

A few of these met in the Prix Dollar at Longchamp, which was slowly run; Phineas didn’t benefit from it, Seagulls Eleven had to make it, only to be caught and passed by Zaydann and Wimbledon Haweye, the latter showing a sharper turn of foot to win it, enhancing his Irish Champion Stakes run.

In a tight call, the market has it about right. Wimbledon Hawkeye to win it, with the three-year-old Baroud offering a creditable each-way alternative.

Recommendation

Wimbledon Hawkeye 5/2 win

Baroud 18/1 ew