17 November 2021

Emperor heads Nass trio as trainer chases more International Trophy glory

17 November 2021

Fawzi Nass is triple-handed in his bid for back-to-back victories in the Bahrain International Trophy.

Having saddled Simsir to claim a surprise victory 12 months ago, the local trainer will this year send Emperor Of The Sun, Qaader and Naamoos into battle against a strong European challenge at Sakhir.

Like Simsir, Emperor Of The Sun has been recruited from Ireland, having formerly been trained by Donnacha O’Brien.

Nass expects last year’s winning rider Lee Newman to employ similarly positive tactics aboard this son of Galileo in Friday’s £500,000 showpiece.

He said: “We’ve only had Emperor Of The Sun for a few days. After he left Donnacha O’Brien, he went to John O’Donoghue at the Curragh. He did his biggest piece of work a couple of days before he got on the flight to Bahrain.

“We know he stays all day; this is the absolute minimum trip he would manage. He’s a galloping type.

“Lee rode him for the first time on Tuesday morning and his feedback was good. He feels and moves well, and Lee will obviously hope to do the same as last year.”

Nass will also be represented by Naamoos and Qaader, who will be ridden by David Egan and Adrie de Vries respectively after switching from Mark Johnston’s yard.

“Naamoos is a nice horse who showed a lot of promise early in the season,” Nass added.

“He was struck into in his last win when I think he was rated 110. His rating has fallen since then to 104, so something was probably bothering him, but he seems to be feeling very well and fresh now.

“He’s been here around six weeks, so he has adapted to the conditions.

“Qaader is not a big horse, but he’s light on his feet and has a big stride and action on him.

“He’s been with me for six weeks, the same as Naamoos. His preparation has been good, and he’s adapted to the track.”

The Nass-trained trio are part of a field of 14 runners, with Zakouski the likely favourite to claim top honours for Charlie Appleby and William Buick.

Appleby has an interesting second string to his bow in Barney Roy, with Andre Fabre’s Magny Cours and Dubai Future from Saeed bin Suroor’s yard also carrying the Godolphin colours.

Lord Glitters (David O’Meara), Pogo (Charlie Hills), Fev Rover (Richard Fahey) and Victory Chime (Ralph Beckett) complete the British party, while Irish hopes are carried by Cadillac (Jessica Harrington).

The best videos delivered daily

Watch the stories that matter, right from your inbox