Saeed bin Suroor

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...

Desert Party (Street Cry {Ire}--Sage Cat, by Tabasco Cat), who was standing at Irish Hill Century Farm in New York, is moving to Judith Barrett's Godstone Farm in Littletown, Pennsylvania, according to stallion Manager R. A. Brooks, Jr. He will stand for a fee of $2,500, with special consideration to Pennyslvania-foaling mares and multiple mare discounts available. A $425,000 Keeneland September yearling, Desert Party topped the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Calder sale on a bid of $2.1 million and was trained by Eoin Harty to win that year's GII Sanford S. at...

After winning a trio of Group 1s internationally in 2018, Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) left his followers wondering as a 5-year-old last year. Sure, he won his belated seasonal debut, the G2 Joel S. at Newmarket on Sept. 27, by five lengths, but he was last seen trailing home last of 16 over the heavy ground in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on Champions Day at Ascot on Oct. 19. The Godolphin colourbearer displayed nothing but brilliance, however, on return on Thursday in Meydan's G2 Singspiel S., taking the...

Three-year-old filly Final Song (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) got Saeed bin Suroor's Dubai World Cup Carnival off to a winning start on Thursday when taking Meydan's card-opening UAE 1000 Guineas Trial, a conditions race over seven furlongs on the dirt, by an eye-catching 1 3/4 lengths. Final Song was the highest-rated filly in the race on a mark of 103 and ran to her form, quickening late to deny a pair of recent impressive Meydan maiden winners in Down On Da Bayou (Super Saver) and 'TDN Rising Star' Rio Angie...

Plans are currently on hold for dual G1 Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) after he was scratched from the GI Whitney H. on the day of the race as he spiked a temperature. He returned to Saeed bin Suroor's stable in Newmarket on Tuesday--and while the Breeders' Cup is still on the agenda, where he runs before then is up in the air. "He got back from Saratoga today," said Bin Suroor. "The horse ran a temperature, which was why we had to scratch him from...