GODOLPHIN’S outstanding year of success on the international stage continued yesterday at Sakhir racecourse, but this time it wasn’t the usual case of Charlie Appleby saddling the winner.

Instead, Saeed bin Suroor added the £600,000 Group 3 Bahrain International Trophy to his roll of honour, and for good measure he also supplied the runner-up.

Eighth in the race last year after being caught up in a frenetic early gallop before fading late, Dubai Future took advantage of this year’s steadier pace, and he crossed the winning line three-parts of a length in front of his stable companion, Passion And Glory.

Victory was compensation for the winning rider, Danny Tudhope, who was forced to miss the ride last year on the winner, Lord Glitters, and he brought the six-year-old Dubawi winner with a well-time challenge to land the winners’ purse of £360,000.

Legged up

This was just the second time Tudhope had been legged up on Dubai Future, and his only previous association with the gelding was when the pair bolted up in the Listed Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot back in June, beating the Irish raider Cadillac by three lengths.

The runner-up Passion and Glory put some disappointing recent efforts behind him to chase the winner home and boost Godolphin’s takings on the day by £120,000. Another six-year-old, the son of Cape Cross flourished last year when he won a Group 3 at Goodwood, before finishing third to last year’s Arc winner Torquator Tasso in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden.

He started this season with victory in the Listed Gala Stakes at Sandown, but he was better suited by conditions in Bahrain and, partnered by Derby winning jockey Richard Kingscote for the first time, he showed something approaching his best form on this occasion. Having appeared to make a winning challenge, he was denied by the faster-finishing winner.

Clean sweep

Godolphin was denied a clean sweep when their André Fabre-trained runner Magny Cours, who made the best of his way home until inside the final furlong, was beaten a head into fourth by another French challenger Carlos Laffon-Parias’ Riocorvo, though the latter was some two lengths off the first pair home. A Group 3 winner in France this year, the German-owned and bred Riocorvo was ridden by Olivier Peslier.

Riocorvo finished a narrow second behind Monty last time out, but this time he had the Andreas Schutz-trained seven-year-old back in a fast-finishing fifth, and they were chased home by the Danish runner King David, and the sole Irish challenger, Insinuendo.

A big disappointment was the well-drawn local challenger Dilawar, the mount of Frankie Dettori for Fawzi Nass. He was the first beaten and was eased down when it was clear his chance was gone. Purchased for €500,000 at this year’s Arc Sale, this race may have come too soon for the son of Dubawi, and this effort is best ignored.