By Alan Carasso
King Power Racing's Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB}) showed ample ability in England over the course of the 2019 season and can cap things off in Saturday's US$500,000 Qatar Derby at Al Rayyan Racecourse in Doha. The Derby is one of three races contested annually in Qatar that is eligible for black-type.
A 500,000gns purchase out of the 2017 Tattersalls October Sale by the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's operation, Bangkok made rapid progress in early 2019, winning his maiden at Doncaster in March ahead of a 1 1/4-length success in the G3 Classic Trial at Sandown the following month. Though he was well-beaten as a 9-1 chance in the G1 Investec Derby, he was runner-up to future G1 Juddmonte International S. winner Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot and was last seen filling the same spot in the G3 Strensall S. at York Aug. 24. Silvestre de Sousa jets in from Hong Kong for trainer Andrew Balding.
Admiral Rous (Ire) (Henrythenavigator) was victorious in a pair of starts over all-weather tracks in France last winter, but also annexed a Saint-Cloud conditions test in May ahead of a longshot third in the G3 Prix Paul de Moussac June 16. He makes his first start since being scooped up by leading Qatari conditioner Gassim Mohammad Ghazali for 325,000gns at the Tattersalls July Sale, the fourth-highest price at the auction.
Pedro Cara (Fr) (Pedro the Great) won the Listed Prix Frederic de Lagrange at Vichy July 19 and made his last appearance in the U.S., running a bang-up race to miss by a nose to the highly regarded Spanish Mission (Noble Mission) in the Jockey Club Derby Invitational S. at Belmont Park Sept. 7.
The locals are led by Al Gazi (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}), who needed eight tries to break his maiden two starts ago, then added the Thoroughbred Guineas over 1600 metres Nov. 28.
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