Middle East Season Review - 2025-26
BAHRAIN
Early in the Bahrain Turf Club season, Royal Champion won the illustrious Bahrain International Trophy for trainer Karl Burke. The winner would go on to win the Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh in February but the form in behind has worked out nicely too with both Calif and Bright Picture winning in pattern company since. In a race that developed into quite a tactical affair, James Doyle gave Royal Champion a superb ride as he sat and waited for the right time to accelerate, delivering his mount perfectly despite the fact that he failed to run the fastest individual furlong split at any point of the contest. Royal Champion clocked a top speed of 40.99 mph in the Bahrain straight, considerably quicker than the runner-up (Galen) as he ran on to win by three-quarters of a length. In a race where all 8 runners recorded a finishing speed above 105%, this was one the best judgements of pace that we saw anywhere in the Middle East over the winter.
That form would continue to be relevant throughout the season in Bahrain as Calif would go on to finish 3rd in the G3 King’s Cup at the end of the campaign, but that race belonged to a legend of the turf in Bahrain, Phantom Flight. Sat behind the early pace as he often is, Phantom Flight loomed up alongside the leader at the furlong pole and went on to win by almost 3 lengths under Benoit de la Sayette, clocking an impressive late speed figure of 61.3 km/h in the process. This was his 4th win in 7 starts in Bahrain and the biggest victory of his career to round off a very successful season for George Scott and the Victorious Forever ownership group.
ABU DHABI
This year also saw the inaugural running of the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup at the Turf Club in February. There were 15 runners going to post and in such a competitive race it was going to take some luck and some class to get home in front. That touch of class came from Joao Moreira aboard the Ryo Takei trained Strauss, who was given a very brave ride behind the pace before sprinting through the gaps to hit the front and hold off the late challenge of the fast-finishing 2nd (Dark Trooper). At a peak average stride length of 7.75m, Strauss had a much longer stride than the 2 horses that chased him home and he seems ideally suited to the competitive nature of this type of race, with a big field and plenty of early pace working in his favour. They don’t call Joao Moreira the “Magic Man” for no reason, and this was one of the best rides of the season in the UAE. I can think of plenty of riders who may have panicked when racing in such a tight space behind the pace, but his years of experience in Hong Kong and elsewhere gave him the confidence to wait for the gaps and when they eventually came, he had the horse underneath him with the class to go through them. If Strauss were to be sent on his travels again, he would be an interesting horse to follow around the world and he sets a fair standard for future contenders in the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup to aim at.
Saudi Arabia
February also saw us heading to the King Abdulaziz racecourse in Riyadh for the Saudi Cup. Who can forget the fabulous race that the Saudi Cup served up between Forever Young and Romantic Warrior in 2025 and the reigning champion didn’t disappoint his fans 12-months later. Forever Young was able to add another Saudi Cup to his already impressive CV over the winter. Yes, he was beaten in the Dubai World Cup for a second year in a row, but I think time will tell that he was beaten by a top class performer in Magnitude and the fact that no horse has completed the Saudi Cup – Dubai World Cup double yet is probably testament to how significant his task has been in the last 2 years. In the Saudi Cup, he ran the fastest final 3 furlong splits and recorded a race best late speed figure of 34.8 mph. Although I must admit that he did get the ideal run round the track in Riyadh, the fact that the runner-up recorded a longer average stride length and higher top speed should not be underestimated. Nysos is a Breeders’ Cup Mile winner after all and probably ran close to a career best to get within a length of Forever Young in his optimal conditions. Bob Baffert’s charge has won 7 of his 9 races and has only been defeated by G1 winners in his career (Forever Young, Mindframe). All roads would appear to lead towards a shot at the Breeders’ Cup Classic at the end of October, where he will probably take on Forever Young once again. Around the tighter turns and shorter straights of Keeneland, the Baffert team will surely be hoping that he can narrow the gap and they should take plenty of encouragement from the Saudi Cup form. If they were to meet at the Breeders’ Cup, presumably with the best of the 3-year-old crop added to the mix, then the Breeders’ Cup Classic is likely to develop into one of the best races of the season.
Jebel Ali
Arguably, the most thrilling finish of the entire season in the Middle East took place at Jebel Ali, as David of Athens and Masmak could not be separated as they dead-heated for the win in the G3 Jebel Ali Mile, the feature race of the season at the course. The pair were involved in a “heads up, heads down” battle over the final furlong, with both of them putting their heads down on the line, whilst Mount Kosciuszko less than a quarter of a length behind in 3rd place. The winning pair could not be separated on the clock and there was very little between the pair in the data either. David of Athens was the faster finisher of the pair, recording a late speed figure of 55.82 km/h, but that was just 0.2 km/h quicker than Masmak, who had recorded the faster overall top speed figure at 70.56 km/h. Their epic battle began with around 3 furlongs to run and given that our sectional timing data shows that there was just 0.15 between them over those closing splits, both sets of connections are likely to feel both relieved and slightly unlucky to have tied for the top prize.
Meydan
I didn’t want this piece to simply be a repeat of the earlier pieces that I have written on this blog when covering the racing in the Middle East so I am going to add a horse to follow. That horse is the Charlie Appleby trained Talk of New York who ran in the Jumeirah 2,000 Guineas on Super Saturday. He had been so impressive when making a winning debut at Kempton Park in October that he was expected to be hard to beat when he lined up in the Jumeirah 2,000 Guineas at Meydan in February. He ultimately finished 3rd and that form has yet to really be tested, but whilst I was disappointed at the time, having watched it back a few weeks after the event, I am convinced that he was the best horse in the race and that he should make up into a leading player in the 3-year-old division in Europe this year. The Godolphin team employed Pacifica Pier as a pacemaker and he set decent fractions in front, reaching the halfway point in 49.05s. Despite this pace, William Buick didn’t look entirely comfortable aboard Talk of New York, despite racing towards the rear. Coming wide into the straight, he made up a lot of ground and closed with a top speed of 41.09 mph, the fastest top speed figure in the field (next best 40.03 mph). He recorded a time of 10.95s for the penultimate furlong, the only time that any of the runners in the 9 runner field dipped below the 11s mark and at a peak average of 25.25 ft, his stride was significantly longer than the 2 horses that finished ahead of him. Taking all of that into account, I think he did incredibly well to get so close to the winner (Title Role) and in time, I think he will prove to be the best horse in this year’s Jumeirah 2,000 Guineas. A return to the UK and a more galloping track are sure to help him to prove that.
Finally we come to Dubai World Cup Night at Meydan. I want to start with Wonder Dean, who delivered yet another success in the UAE Derby on World Cup Night for Japan and he is the other 3-year-old horse to take from the winter season. This was the 5th year in a row that a Japanese trained horse has won this race and a 2nd successive victory for trainer Daisuke Takayanagi. The son of Dee Majesty had only been 4th in the Saudi Derby but he took his form to an entirely different level when winning the UAE Derby. With an average stride length figure of 7.03m he isn’t the biggest type by any means, but what he lacks in size he makes up for with a beautiful blend of speed and stamina. At a peak average of 2.65 strides per second, he had the highest stride frequency figure in the field and that translated to an impressive top speed figure of 63.9 km/h as he ran out a two and a quarter length winner. Having earned 100 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby, it will be interesting to see if he lines up at Churchill Downs in a few weeks time and whether he can do better than his compatriot Forever Young, who finished 3rd in the Kentucky Derby in 2024 after winning this race.
Later on the card we saw the incredible performances of Ombudsman and in particular Calandagan, which were a sight to behold on Dubai World Cup Night and were the highlights of the Group 1 races on the turf. The way that Francis-Henri Graffard’s superstar gave West Wind Blows a head start in the Sheema Classic and still went on to pick him up with relative ease was one of the best performances that I have seen and confirmed my view that he is the best racehorse on the planet. I should also add, that the ride given by Jose Ortiz to Magnitude in the Dubai World Cup was exceptional and the way that he controlled the fractions in front aboard Steve Asmussen’s charge should be used as a blueprint for jockeys looking to understand how to ride the dirt course at Meydan. To be able to dominate a race like the Dubai World Cup and to be able to hold off the closing efforts of a horse like Forever Young in the home straight would suggest that Magnitude is amongst the world’s best.
I am going to end this piece where I began with a reference to Dark Saffron. Although his form did take a dip in the middle of the season, he bounced right back to form to win the Golden Shaheen for the 2nd year in a row with some authority on World Cup Night. Getting the better of the Breeders’ Cup sprint Bentornato was no mean feat and although the crown may now have slipped from the head of Tuz, Dark Saffron now looks ready to take up the mantle of being the best sprinter in Dubai and he is one of the horses to look forward to when it all starts again in the autumn.
The global database of sectional times, stride data and performance metrics is available through Total Performance Data.