As the connections of Bobs Yer Uncle winner of this year’s Bahrain Crown Prince and Kings Cups bask in their glory Jehangir Rustomjee harks back to where it all started for this gifted individual.
      The winner was bred at Safra Stud, which is the thoroughbred breeding facility of H. M. The King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain.      These magnificent premises are located adjacent to the old racecourse in the plain of the Riffa valley. The historic Salman Bin Ahmed Al Fateh Fort looms over the eastern side of the flats and a semi circle of natural desert rock formations protects its northern face. At first sight the stud, with it’s abundance of greenery, appears like an emerald set into the sand.
     Safra was established and built in 1978. It was the dream of the late Amir H. H. Sh. Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa to see top

class thoroughbred racing in Bahrain. This dream led to the creation of the stud farm.
      The structures at Safra combine modernity and function with the chief goal being protection for the horses from the harsh extremes of climate that Bahrain experiences. The main yard was the first to go up with 150 boxes in four sections and an office block. Over 200 more boxes were added over the years in three more yards including nearly 50 air-conditioned stalls.
      The stallions at Safra were all thoroughbreds as were a few mares. The rest were Anglo-Arabs. Notable amongst the thoroughbreds were Crocus, a son of Derby victor Psidium and Splice The Mainbrace, a son of

Petition. Four mares from that time that were particular favourites of His Highness were Awali, Wasmiyah, Christmas Parade and Arctic Princess. Awali and Wasmiyah were His Highness’ first foray into racing in the UK. This was long before the seeds of the Maktoum dream were even sown. Both of them won races in their native land. Christmas Parade’s star shone brightest when she won the King Faisal Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1969. Arctic Princess was the darling of the local crowd as she had a practically unbeaten career on the old racetrack in Riffa.      Christmas Parade brings to mind one of Safra Stud’s longest serving incumbents. Trevor Bartlett traveled to Bahrain with a mare called Pirmona. Trevor, a jockey travelled with horses to pad his income in the winter months as most jockeys did in

those days. His Highness requested Trevor to stay for a few weeks and ride for him, which he did and it culminated spectacularly with Christmas Parade’s win in Riyadh. The rest is history; a professional and personal relationship was forged which would last till his His Highness’s untimely passing in 1999. Trevor is still the yearling handler at Safra Stud. He took up this position after several years as a very successful trainer handling the local champions Lisianthus, Lighting Disc, Rifa’a (original name Damascus Rogue), Rakan (Bold Marauder) and Safra (Miss Lil Z). The last three were all imported from the USA and brought to Bahrain by Frank Mendez. A Puerto Rican by birth Frank Mendez, a traveling lad at the time, eventually settled in Bahrain as assistant trainer to Trevor. He struck out on his own in the early nineties and was a successful trainer for H. H. Sh. Mohammed Bin Isa Al Khalifa and is now a manager at Safra Stud. Englishman Dr. Richard Silvey played a large part in the establishment of Safra Stud and its development as a modern horse breeding facility. Till his retirement in 2001 as Director and Veterinarian, Dr. Silvey oversaw the stud’s complete transformation. The ‘Anglos’ were culled in 1992 so that the stud could step up its standard. This process had begun in 1985 with the import of Jazz Ballet (Jazziero ex Quiet Harbour by Mill Reef) a magnificent, nearly black stallion and twelve broodmares in 1986. Jazz Ballet produced over a hundred winners including the blindingly fast Jazz Fair and Flaming Torch, one of the few horses to upset the great Anchorman in a thrillingly contested Crown Prince Cup. Dr. Silvey, and his then assistant Raja Pillay, realizing the rapid rise in the standard of the sport in Bahrain, and advised His Highness to up the ante and accordingly they imported four expensive broodmares with excellent racing and breeding credentials. They included Fleet Fairy a regally bred daughter of Derby victor Teenoso out of Guineas heroine Fairy Footsteps. Both parents were guided to their greatest triumphs by the legendary Lester Piggott who also rode the aforementioned Wasmiyah to one of her wins in the UK; and Burning Issue in foal to 1980. He assisted both Dr. Silvey’s predecessors Slip Anchor. The resulting foal the best locally bred horse to race in Bahrain.