Poor Bahrain turnout will disappoint organisers - but this will just be a blip

Friday's fourth running of Bahrain's International Trophy takes me back to 12 months ago, when I was at Sakhir racecourse to see the now-retired Lord Glitters claim a thrilling victory.

While there, I spent time with people at the head of the organisers the Bahrain Turf Club, exploring their ambitions to make a splash on the global stage, and victory for David O'Meara's veteran felt like an important moment in pursuit of their number one priority: gaining Group 1 status for their marquee race.

It must therefore be disappointing for them that, having seen the race grow exponentially in its previous three runnings, Friday's event cannot be said to have continued that trend. In fact, quite the opposite has happened – despite a prize-money boost of 20 per cent bringing its total value to £600,000.