After finishing unplaced on his debut as a five-year-old, Bahamian Pirate won a minor handicap race at Carlisle Racecourse and then won a similar event at Southwell by eight lengths. In July he finished second in handicaps at Newmarket, Lingfield and Newmarket again before winning a six furlong handicap at Newmarket in August. Nine days after his Newmarket win the gelding contested his first important race when he carried 111 pounds in the Great St. Wilfrid Stakes and finished third behind William's Well. On 2 September he finished unplaced in a handicap before running in the Ayr Gold Cup two weeks later. Ridden by his trainer's son Adrian Nicholls he carried 112 pounds and started a 33/1 outsider in a 28-runner field which included seven other runners from the David Nicholls stable. After being restrained by Adrian Nicholls in the early stages he made rapid progress to take the lead a furlong out and won by one and a quarter lengths from Lago Di Varano. The Scotsmans correspondent described the win as "ridiculously easy", whilst David Nicholls said that he was glad that he ignored the advice of Frankie Dettori, who recommended that the horse needed to race in blinkers. Adrian Nicholls said "I thought the ground might be too soft for him but I was wrong. I've never been going so well in a sprint with two furlongs to run. I waited until I saw the furlong marker and said 'go' and he really went".
