Classy gelding Spirit Dancer, whose dam is a full-sister to Maine Chance Farms’ top class sire Querari, made it back to back wins in the race when he won the G2 Bahrain International Trophy on Friday.
Richard Fahey’s seven-year-old landed the race last season to kick-start a spell in the region during which he also won the Neom Turf Cup.
Due to an injury picked up in Dubai, he had then run just once since returning from his travels, but his beaten effort in the Darley Stakes at Newmarket clearly set him up perfectly for a repeat of last year’s heroics.
The gelding was ridden by Oisin Orr for an ownership group made up of Ferguson, Fred Done and Ged Mason in a field of 12 that included fellow British-trained entrants Alflaila, Nations Pride and Lead Artist.
Having broken from stall 11, Spirit Dancer remained on the outside and had ground to make up turning for home, but gradually he reeled in John and Thady Gosden’s Lead Artist to score neatly.

A son of Frankel, Spirit Dancer is out of the Oasis Dream mare Queen’s Dream, who is not only a full-sister to Querari but is also a three-part sister to Oasis Dream’s multiple stakes-winning son Quinault.
South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs in 2018-2019, Querari enjoyed success on Friday with his daughter Passchendaele victorious in Friday’s November Stakes.