Royal Champion records famous double in Bahrain International Trophy

Royal Champion won the Bahrain International Trophy for a second year running for North Yorkshire trainer Karl Burke – and this time big-race jockey Clifford Lee was able to share in the glory.

Twelve months on from success under James Doyle in a race that was then a Group Two but has now been upgraded to Group One status, Lee completed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes to ride the 15-2 winner to a second victory.

Delivered with a withering charge on the stands rail, the eight-year-old gelding strode one-and-a-quarter-lengths clear of Zaydann at the line with another French challenger, Baroud, a length and a half away in third.

Lee had been unable to ride the horse last year after suffering life-threatening injuries in a motorbike accident in October 2025.

The Kent-born rider broke a vertebra in his neck, suffered internal bleeding and spent time in a coma only to make a remarkable return to race-riding in April this year.

“I’m delighted for Cliff who had a real tough year and it’s not an exaggeration to say he nearly died,” said Burke. “He was millimetres from death, but he’s a fit and strong lad who has come through a lot.”

Burke also revealed the horse – running in the colours of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid – has had to make a comeback from illness this summer, adding: “The horse was pretty sick after York (fourth to Item in July) after travelling well and getting tired in the race.

“It was all a bit stop-start with him, but all credit to him. It’s only in the last three or four weeks that we have been happy with the horse and I didn’t even get a chance to take him away for a gallop.

“Last year all we had to do was keep him fresh and well on the back of a good run in the Irish Champion Stakes, but this year I came out early to see him do a bit of work on Tuesday.

“I said to Cliff he’ll be travelling strongly but to keep filling him up and not to push the button too early.”

Francis-Henri Graffard nominated Hong Kong as next on the agenda for runner-up Zaydaan, with the Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin his preferred target ahead of the Vase on the same day.

“He ran not too bad at York in the Juddmonte and I was pleased with the way he trained here. The ground was a little patchy and we saw in the race before that the outside rail was a key factor,” said Graffard.

“Unfortunately we made a big move in the middle of the track, but he can win a big race one day. Let’s see how he comes out of the race and if he gets invited to Hong Kong where the Cup would be preferred to the Vase.”

Of the Andre and Lavinia Fabre-trained Baroud, Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner Imad Al Sagar, said: “He’s shown us he’s an improving horse and while he needs to improve again he has the scope to do it, while he’s a son of Frankel.

“The way he’s travelled, both to here and in the race, gives us a great deal of encouragement that he can do well globally over a mile or a mile and a quarter next year.”

Ian Williams’ Beylerbeyi came with a late rattle under Eddie Greatrex to deny the veteran Dubai Future to win the inaugural Gulf of Bahrain Cup.

For much of the home straight it appeared that Saeed bin Suroor’s Dubai Future was going to hold the challengers at bay under Oisin Murphy, but Greatrex got a great tune out of the 2025 Cesarewitch winner.

Brought up the near side, Dubai Future had no time to respond and Beylerbeyi won going away.

“It looked like he wasn’t going to get there, but then he just went,” said Williams.

“It was a great performance from the horse and a good performance from the jockey as well.”

Bin Suroor said: “He travelled into the race well and I thought he was going to win. It was a very good performance for a 10-year-old and though it’s sad that he was beaten he’s told us that he should race on and go to Dubai.”