Saeed bin Suroor

Overbury Stud's Kayf Tara (GB) (Sadler's Wells--Colorspin {Fr}, by High Top {Ire}), a leading National Hunt sire in Britain for many years, has been pensioned due to declining fertility, Racing Post reported on Monday. Champion jumps sire nine times in Britain, the Meon Valley Stud-bred and 210,000gns Tattersalls Houghton September Yearling is credited with champions in that sphere like Carruthers (GB), Edwulf (GB), Identity Thief (Ire), Special Tiara (GB), Tea For Two (GB) and Thistlecrack (GB). A winner of four top level races, including two editions of the Irish St....

Saeed bin Suroor's triple Group 1 winner Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is back in training and eyeing the G1 Juddmonte International at York on Aug. 19 for a potential return to action. The 6-year-old, a former winner of the G1 Dubai Turf, G1 Grosser Preis Dallmayr and G1 Ladbrokes S., showed a new dimension when winning the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2 over the dirt at Meydan in February before finishing third in the inaugural Saudi Cup. He was favoured for the G1 Dubai World Cup before that event was...

Godolphin G3 Autumn S. winner and G1 2000 Guineas fourth Military March (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) has been ruled out of the July 4 G1 Investec Derby after suffering a setback, according to trainer Saeed bin Suroor. Military March was third favourite for the blue riband. "He'll be back by the end of the season, but his setback means no Derby," the trainer said. "He's a nice horse, we like him and he was doing really well so it's really unfortunate. He'll have a break now, but he should be...

   On the 20-year anniversary of Dubai Millennium's track record-setting victory (a mark that still holds today) in the Dubai World Cup, Tom Frary looks back on the legendary performance by the storied horse. As the final Saturday in March 2000 slipped into evening, an already exhilarated Nad Al Sheba gathering waited with a mix of eagerness and angst for the main event. The fifth running of the $6-million G1 Dubai World Cup featured a beautiful, inspiring bay colt with an edict placed upon him by the talismanic Sheikh Mohammed...

Godolphin's triple Group 1 winner Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), third behind Maximum Security (New Year's Day) and Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) in last weekend's Saudi Cup, has been given the go-ahead by trainer Saeed bin Suroor to advance to the G1 Dubai World Cup on Mar. 28. A Group 1 winner in Germany and Australia, the 6-year-old Benbatl made a successful transition to the dirt on Feb. 6 when winning the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2 at Meydan, and he ran with great credit in Riyadh on Saturday when beaten...

Team Valor International's English GSW Spanish Mission (Noble Mission {GB}), the highest rated horse on Thursday's Meydan card at 110, makes his first start since a narrow win in Belmont's Sept. 7 Jockey Club Derby Invitational S. in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy. The 2810-metre turf event drew a field of nine, and the David Simcock trainee, successful in the July 11 G3 Bahrain Trophy S. and third in Goodwood's G3 Gordon S. on Aug. 1, leaves from gate six. If he performs with credit today, the Nad Al...

MG1SW Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) has been given the green light to run in the inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup this weekend. Trainer Saeed bin Suroor let the Godolphin colourbearer take his chance on dirt for the first time at Meydan earlier this month, and his flag-bearer responded with a comfortable success in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2 on Feb. 6. Following that victory, the decision whether to take him to the $20-million race in Riyadh was left to owner Sheikh Mohammed --and he has given the go-ahead. "Yes, Benbatl...

Second choice on the board, Zakouski (GB) (Shamardal) just nipped heavy favourite Mythical Magic (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) by a neck in a blanket finish in the $250,000 G2 Zabeel Mile going a mile over the Meydan grass on Thursday. It was a similar margin back to Dream Castle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in third, with pacesetter Salute The Soldier (Ger) (Sepoy {Aus}) another neck behind in fourth. Charlie Appleby trained the first two home, with Saeed bin Suroor's Dream Castle giving Godolphin the trifecta. Content to race in fourth against the...

Thursday's Dubai Carnival action continues to build toward the Mar. 7 Super Saturday card and the Mar. 28 Dubai World Cup night, as four group races are on tap. The highest rated Dubai-based horse, Godolphin's German Group 1 winner Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) (126) for Charlie Appleby, returns in the 2000-metre G3 Dubai Millennium S. over the grass at Meydan after a last out 10th making the early running in the Oct. 6 G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Run as the first race of seven on the evening,...

Godolphin's MG1SW Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), trying dirt for the first time in the 1900-metre G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2, answered that surface question emphatically, drawing off to win by two lengths over Military Law (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) at Meydan on Thursday. 2018 GI Belmont S. runner-up Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}) ran third, 6 3/4 lengths behind after a wide trip. Part of the early pace discussion from the bell, Christophe Soumillon settled his mount in a perfect position in third just off the tempo set by dueling leaders Chiefdom (The...

2017 G1 St James's Palace S. hero Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}) makes his Dubai debut in the grassy G2 Al Rashidiya over 1800 metres at Meydan on Thursday, as the Dubai World Cup Carnival takes another step toward Super Saturday and then Dubai World Cup night itself. One of four in the race for Godolphin, the Charlie Appleby-trained gelding who made an abortive attempt at stud in 2018, won the Listed Prix de Montretout at ParisLongchamp last May. He was a last out eighth in the G1 Queen Anne...

Dubai Love (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) had already proved she stayed a mile as a juvenile and back up to that distance in the Listed UAE 1000 Guineas she was able to turn the tables with the favoured Final Song (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), to whom she had finished fourth in the trial three weeks earlier. In this instance Final Song had to settle for third behind her stablemate, continuing a good start to Thursday's Meydan meeting for trainer Saeed Bin Suroor and Godolphin, who also won the opening...