Saeed bin Suroor has his eyes firmly fixed on Group 1 prizes for Saamidd following his devastating performance in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, England at the weekend. The Street Cry colt has always had a big reputation and has shown exactly why in his two racecourse starts to date, winning a Newbury maiden by seven lengths before following up on Town Moor.
His trainer admits the youngster is held in the highest regard and he could now put his unbeaten record on the line at the highest level. "He's come out of the race very good and he is moving well," said bin Suroor, the Godolphin trainer. "He is nice and healthy and we will keep the options open for him now to go for a Group 1 race. The Dewhurst Stakes would be possible for him and also the Racing Post Trophy.
"He's a horse who shows a lot of class in the morning when he works and he is one to look forward to next year." The Emirati also had news of another unbeaten juvenile in White Moonstone, who was an impressive winner of Doncaster's May Hill Stakes. "She's a nice filly and is still learning," bin Suroor said. "She's a big strong filly and I like her a lot. We will look at the Fillies' Mile at Ascot for her."
Godolphin's Delegator is nearing a return to the racecourse, with the Dubai Duty Free Cup at Newbury on Friday one possible comeback target. The four-year-old has been sidelined with injury since finishing fifth in the Breeders' Cup Mile last November but bin Suroor has been delighted with his recent progress. "He is entered in many races including Newbury, but he worked well on Monday and I was really happy with him," bin Suroor said. "He has had setbacks in the past but the horse is coming now and he needs a confidence-booster to start with. But whatever happens in his next race, he will improve a lot and we are looking for the future, but we want to see how he runs."
Youmzain is looking "better than ever" ahead of a fourth crack at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe next month. The seven-year-old enjoyed a routine spin at Mick Channon's base as part of his preparation for Longchamp. "Youmzain did some light work and we were happy with him. He doesn't overdo himself and he looks a million dollars - he looks better than he's ever looked," Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Jaber Abdullah, said.
Youmzain has finished second in the Arc for the past three years behind Dylan Thomas, Zarkava and Sea The Stars, and Raymond saw nothing coming out of the trials at the weekend to give him cause for concern. He said: "He definitely excels round there, he's a different horse there so I'm sure whatever you've seen of him this year you'll see better at Longchamp. "I'm surprised they are making such a big do out of Behkabad. It certainly wasn't impressive. I'd be surprised if he was to beat Youmzain, and I'd hope we'd be able to beat Duncan [winner of the Prix Foy]."
Australia's premier racing club, the Victoria Racing Club (VRC), yesterday hosted some of the UAE's racing and business leaders at an event designed to celebrate the milestone 150th year of Australia's major annual thoroughbred race, the Melbourne Cup. While horses trained in the UAE have competed in the Cup since 1998, the trophy is one of the few major horse racing trophies never yet claimed by a UAE-based horse or stable.
* Agencies