Horse racing: Saeed bin Suroor looks for a silver lining on the July Course at Newmarket

Bin Suroor lines up Prize Money, Race Day, Silver Line and Elite Army on busy day.

Jockey William Buick and trainer Saeed bin Suroor. Satish Kumar / The National

Newmarket // This has been a quiet season for Saeed bin Suroor, but the Godolphin trainer could well turn up the volume a little on the July Course at Newmarket on Thursday.

Bin Suroor’s stable has taken time to get going this European turf season with only Beautiful Romance’s Group 2 win at York in May anything really to shout about.

Bin Suroor fires two darts at the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy, a key race for the English St Leger in September, in Prize Money and Race Day.

He then sends out Silver Line, who was third in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, in the Group 2 July Stakes, before Elite Army, who was second in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes also at Royal Ascot, takes his chance in the Group 2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes.

It is a strong team, and tees-up nicely the twin-pronged assault on Friday’s Group 1 Falmouth Stakes with dual Meydan winner Very Special and Always Smile.

Bin Suroor has revealed that Elite Army had a tough race at Royal Ascot, and that conditions are perfect for Silver Line, but it is Prize Money who could be the most interesting of all.

Prize Money, who will be ridden by James Doyle, showed he can size up to the best when he chased home Godolphin’s subsequent Eclipse Stakes winner Hawkbill in the Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot. He faces eight others on the feature race, with World Cup Carnival form represented by Big Orange, who was second in the Dubai Gold Cup in March, and The Grey Gatsby, last year’s Dubai Turf runner-up.

Despite the tough field, Bin Suroor hopes Prize Money can become a realistic candidate for the St Leger, a race he has farmed five times, when he takes a step up in distance.

“He’s a tough horse, and the jockey advised us after his last run to run over a mile and six furlongs in the future,” Bin Suroor said.

“I think a mile and five in the Bahrain Trophy will suit him well, he worked well in his last piece of work and he’s in great form. I think he can go on any ground.

“We are thinking about the St Leger but we’ll see how he runs at Newmarket.”

SPORTING READ

• Read more: Find all of The National Sport's long reads in one place

Very Special won the Cape Verdi and Balanchine in Dubai before she was produced too soon when sixth over the 1800 metres of the Dubai Turf on World Cup night.

The daughter of Lope De Vega is sure to be more comfortable on Friday over 1,600 metres, especially as she is likely to be the only front-runner in the £200,000 contest.

Despite being up against Andre Fabre’s Usherette, who is also owned by Godolphin, Bin Suroor hopes his tough four-year-old can give a good account of herself.

“Always Smile is a very tough and consistent filly who is working well. I was pleased with her run at Ascot and drying ground will suit. This will be the first run back for Very Special in the UK following a successful campaign in Dubai. She goes into the race in good form and will appreciate the conditions.”

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport