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 2 3/4 lengths by the two American champions.
“He ran really well to finish third,” bin Suroor said of the Saudi Cup. “It was a tough race, but he seems happy since and we are very happy with him. We'll give him an easy time now and get him ready for the World Cup. He has had two good runs on dirt, so we are looking forward to going for the World Cup with him now.”
Maximum Security and Midnight Bisou are both expected to bypass the Dubai World Cup.
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