In a ride that saw the Melbourne Cup and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winning jockey Gerald Mosse at the peak of his powers, Parlando produced a career best performance to win the Vision 2030 by Beyon and in doing so also land the $40,000 bonus prize in the Bahrain Turf Series.

One of the record number of international horses competing in this season’s Bahrain Turf Series, the Ian Williams trained Parlando arrived late on the scene to snatch victory from under the nose of the valiant Box To Box in the 2000m race and the overall series. The pair ended the series tied on 28 points in the middle-distance division, but by virtue of securing the win today, the $40,000 bonus prize went to Parlando’s connections.

Parlando was bought out of Godolphin’s yard a year ago and his win in the Vision 2030 was a first success since his racecourse debut in the UK in 2021. However, he has been a model of consistency for Ian Williams and had accumulated enough points over the course of the Bahrain Turf Series to be within striking distance if he could win today and score the maximum 15 points.

Under a beautiful, patient ride from Gerald Mosse, Parlando was held up before swooping late down the outside to deny Box To Box, who was ridden by Jason Hart for trainer Hugo Palmer. It was Box To Box’s third placed effort in the series from four runs.

Gerald Mosse, who has been in great form in Bahrain all season, said of Parlando: “I had the ridden the horse once before so I knew him. He travelled really nice and I was biding my time as I knew he would finish well. If you ride him too close to the pace, he will do too much, today he was relaxed in behind and when I pressed the button, he was ready to answer.”

Harvey Williams, assistant to and son of trainer Ian Williams, added. “We’re so happy with that result, really delighted. And to have won the Bahrain Turf Series bonus prize is great news. We will definitely be back next year!”

The overall winner of the sprint division of the Bahrain Turf Series was Brazen Bolt, trained by John and Sean Quinn. The gelding had accumulated an unassailable lead going into the final round and finished the series on 41 points. However, it was Brazen Bolt’s stable companion, JM Jungle, who’s turn it was to shine in the Al Sakhir Cup (sponsored by ALBA), the final round in the sprint division.

JM Jungle showed blistering speed in a rapid 1000m race to score readily under Jason Hart, leading a clean sweep for the international horses, with Thunder Moor, for Callum Shepherd and George Boughey, in second, and Roman Dragon, for Kieran Shoemark and Hugo Palmer, back in third.

Speaking after the race, joint licence holder Sean Quinn said: “That was a very good performance, but not a huge surprise. JM Jungle was a horse good enough to win at Glorious Goodwood last year so he has high-class form.

“And Brazen Bolt has run another good race to finish sixth. The handicapper has understandably put him up for his successes. It’s been a fantastic winter and thank you to everybody associated with the Bahrain Turf Club, we have thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Running from December through to February, the Bahrain Turf Series provides opportunities for internationally trained runners (rated 85-100) to compete against local Bahrain based horses. There are five races in each division, sprint and middle-distance, with each race worth $80,000 and a bonus prize for the horse accumulating most points in its respective division.

The final and most valuable race of the day, the His Highness Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup (sponsored by Bapco Energies), saw yet another impressive performance from Isle Of Jura, the season’s most improved performer.

Coasting home by four lengths under a confident ride from Callum Shepherd, Isle Of Jura, in the colours of Victorious Racing, took the race named in honour of his owner, HH Shaikh Nasser. It was a third win this season for the George Scott trained four-year-old, building on his success to take the Crown Prince’s Cup last time out and next stop will be the King’s Cup on Friday 8^th March.

Speaking after the race, winning jockey Callum Shephard said: “That was a flawless performance. Roll on the King’s Cup!”