Sovereign Spirit clinches G3 Crown Prince's Cup at Bahrain Turf Club

Sovereign Spirit dug in to take the Group 3 HRH The Crown Prince’s Cup (sponsored by Cebarco) over 1m 2f on turf at Bahrain Turf Club, narrowly edging Cracksking by a short head in an official time of 2:03.32 (Racing Post timing 2m 3.32s). Hi Royal finished third as the finish produced a tight photo decision that underlined the quality and competitiveness of the Middle East midwinter programme.

Paul Mulrennan, riding Sovereign Spirit for the first time, praised the gelding’s toughness after the race. “I was just a passenger, he travelled round so strong. I probably ended up getting there a bit too soon, but he was going so well and I hated to disappoint him. He stays well, he’s very genuine and he put his head down right on the line. It’s great to be over here and ride a big winner,” Mulrennan said to Bahrain Turf Club. Trainer Jaber Ramadhan acknowledged the nerves of a photo finish and mapped out the connections’ short-term plan. “I was nervous about the photo finish. The jockey was great, he gave him a brilliant ride. He’s a proper horse but when he runs, I do get nervous. The plan now is to go to Saudi and then the King’s Cup again,” Ramadhan said.

Race shape saw King Of The Throne act as pacemaker for the Jaber Ramadhan string, setting the tempo before weakening early in the home straight and leaving Sovereign Spirit to fend off a late surge. Cracksking produced the strongest late challenge in the colours of Al Adiyat Racing for Daniel and Claire Kubler, but time ran out on the fast-finishing runner. Hi Royal, trained by Kevin Ryan, rounded out the podium in a performance that kept the result in doubt until the photo board.

The winner carried more than bragging rights: the purse for the Cup was $200,000 USD, and Bahrain Turf Club hailed the victory as a completion of a “famous double”, Sovereign Spirit had previously won HM The King’s Cup. Pedigree and age detail from equineline note Sovereign Spirit (GB) is a bay gelding foaled Apr 28, 2020, by Le Havre out of Shutka (by Holy Roman Emperor), giving him a profile that blends European stamina with proven regional form.

Career totals reported on race day show some divergence: Bahrain Turf Club described the success as the eleventh of his career and his eighth win in the Kingdom, while Thoroughbred Daily News and equineline race-record excerpts list totals through 2025 of 9 wins, 6 seconds and 1 third. Those figures appear to differ across sources and merit confirmation with official registries.

On the supporting card, No Retreat won the Bahrain Mile (sponsored by BBK), a performance Bahrain Turf Club said should excite the team of Victorious Forever, trainer George Scott and jockey Callum Shepherd for campaigns in the Middle East and Europe. For Sovereign Spirit and his connections, the immediate trajectory is clear: a planned move to Saudi and another tilt at the King’s Cup as the horse seeks to extend a compelling regional résumé.