KARL BURKE AIMING TO EARN 20TH GROUP WIN IN 2025 IN THE BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL TROPHY
Yorkshire-based trainer Karl Burke will saddle his first runner in Bahrain when Group 1 placed ROYAL CHAMPION lines up in the Group 2 Bahrain International Trophy on Friday for Emirati owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.
Burke will bid to improve his tremendous 2025 season where he has registered an impressive 37 Group or Listed victories across Britain, Ireland and France. He has also broken his own records in terms of prize money and number of wins in a year.
Royal Champion debuted on his 2025 campaign with a win in the Group 3 Winter Derby Stakes. He then came fourth in a Group 3 race at Sandown Park Racecourse, only beaten by a length, before challenging the best horses in his division in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The seven-year-old was back in the winner’s enclosure in July when winning the Group 2 York Stakes and he produced a career best last time out when third behind multiple Group 1 winners DELACROIX and ANMAAT in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes.
Burke spoke to Great British Racing International (GBRI) about his runner in Bahrain’s richest race:
“We had the idea of coming to Bahrain with Royal Champion after his win at York. I mentioned it to Sheikh Mohammed Obaid and he agreed to the plan. He was always going to go for the Irish Champion Stakes before coming here and on form his race there could arguably be his best ever performance.
“He’s trained well coming into Bahrain and travelled really well. He is an experienced traveller having been to Australia, Canada and around Europe. We are very happy with him. He runs well fresh and looks in great shape. I would be nervous about Ralph Beckett’s horse Pride Of Arras, who is a three-year-old, but if our horse runs up to his best form he could be the one to beat."
Burke, who trains from Spigot Lodge in the picturesque town of Middleham in Yorkshire, has been Britain’s leading trainer by two-year-old winners and Stakes winners this year. Talking about his year so far, he said:
“It’s been a fantastic year. Our horses have performed consistently throughout the season. Most of our older horses who were highly rated have performed and contributed to what has been a fantastic season so far, and our two-year-olds have delivered. Hopefully it’s not finished yet.”
Nine of the trainer’s 37 Stakes wins have been with horses owned by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid. Burke spoke fondly of his association with the prominent owner-breeder:
“We have been very lucky for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid. He has supported us really well over the last four seasons and we have done well with the horses he sent us, as well as with the horses we bought for him. He is a huge part of the team. We have a number of owners from around the world and we are very grateful to them all.”
On the conditions and facilities in Bahrain, Burke added:
“It’s my first trip to Bahrain and I have been very impressed. The training facility and the track are in great shape. The grass track that we breezed on is in excellent condition.”
Royal Champion will be joined by three other British-trained runners in the race, namely LION’S PRIDE (GB) for John & Thady Gosden, PERSICA for Richard Hannon and PRIDE OF ARRAS for Ralph Beckett.