A RACEHORSE trainer from County Durham has told how she watched a missile hit a residential area close to where she is staying in Bahrain.
Chloe Dods, assistant trainer to her father Michael Dods, was in an apartment in Seef when sirens sounded around 8pm on Saturday.
She then heard “a very loud bang” close by as a missile struck a tower block which immediately burst into flames.
“It was frightening and surreal, and we decided at that moment we should leave the area,” said Chloe, pictured below.
She left her apartment and was able to move into a house owned by a jockey about 20 minutes’ drive from the city.
After the all-clear was sounded yesterday (Sunday), Chloe returned to Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club to check on her father’s horses, Commanche Falls and Northern Express.
“They seem absolutely fine but it's obviously a very difficult situation,” added Chloe.
Earlier in the weekend, she described how the windows in her apartment rattled when a missile exploded about 15 miles away, at a US naval base at Manama, on Saturday morning as Iran retaliated following attacks by the US and Israel.
She said at the time: “It all feels a bit weird at the moment because it’s so unpredictable. No one knows what’s going to happen next. We’ve been told to stay close to our accommodation and avoid unnecessary travel.”
The two horses, normally stabled at Denton, near Darlington, flew to Bahrain in December and have so far raced three times.
Commanche Falls is due to run again next Thursday and Northern Express is scheduled to run on Friday, however it is uncertain whether racing will now go ahead, with jockeys’ travel arrangements being affected amid the cancellation of flights over the Middle East.
The horses are due to fly back the following Monday but that will depend on flights resuming.
“Before this happened, it had been a great experience – I’ve loved it – but it’ll be nice to get back home now,” added Chloe.
Michael said: “It’s obviously a worry. We’re getting updates from the International Racing Bureau and speaking regularly with Chloe but all we can do at the moment is monitor the situation closely. Everything’s up in the air.”
