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Meade eyeing big pot in Bahrain for Layfayette

Layfayette Layfayette
© Photo Healy Racing

Layfayette will appear at Irish Champions Festival before heading off to contest the lucrative Bahrain International Trophy.

The six-year-old gelding got back to winning ways in the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh last month and now has the Group 3 Paddy Power Stakes at Foxrock on his agenda.

Trainer Noel Meade said: "He will run in the mile and a half race at Leopardstown.

"He has got a ticket to the race in Bahrain in the middle of November. I haven't got the final okay from Patricia (Hunt, owner) yet, but I think we will probably go.

"There is nothing much to lose - a million dollar race and all expenses paid in the middle of November - and where else would you be going in the middle of November? It sounds like a nice trip.

"He got a free ticket with winning the Royal Whip and I think that will happen."

The Group 2 Bahrain International Trophy is on 17th November and has a total prize fund of $1,000,000 with a winning share of $600,000. There is prize money down to fifth place.

Meanwhile, Meade gave an update to Racing TV on Jesse Evans who is likely to miss Irish Champions Festival.

"We will probably keep him for the Cesarewitch (at Curragh on 24th September), he gets into the Cesarewitch now because of winning the race in Kerry (Killarney). He has a golden ticket," he said.

About Michael Graham
Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.