Bin Suroor faces challenge to keep hold of Dubai World Cup Carnival title

Emirati expected to saddle eight horses at Meydan meeting

Saeed bin Suroor faces a tough task as he tries to earn the title of most successful trainer at the Dubai World Cup Carnival for the seventh straight year. Ed Reinke / AP Photo

Saeed bin Suroor understands that his Dubai World Cup Carnival horses have some ground to make up if the Godolphin trainer is to succeed in defending his trainers’ title.

The Al Quoz handler was the leading trainer at the Carnival for the sixth successive year last season with 19 winners, which took his tally to 150 since the international Carnival commenced in 2004.

Bin Suroor’s strike rate in Dubai was impressive last season, standing at 17 per cent, but with eight runners across the six-race thoroughbred card at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday, it might be a stretch to expect more than one winner.

“Most of them are going to be 80 per cent to 85 per cent fit to run,” he said. “We will give them a race and we will see from there. Most of them need the race and need to improve.”

Bin Suroor’s team on Thursday is spearheaded by Shuruq, last season’s UAE Oaks winner whose form tailed off when transferred to Britain.

She will be ridden by Silvestre De Sousa, who reportedly has been in tremendous form in the saddle recently while competing in Saudi Arabia.

Shuruq will be the only filly in the 10-runner field in tomorrow’s Round 1 of the Al Maktoum Challenge, the Group 2 contest over 1,600 metres.

Bin Suroor twice has won the Tapeta event, with Mendip in 2011 and My Indy in 2009, since the $US250,000 (Dh918,165) race was upgraded to a Group 3 event in 2002.

Overall, Bin Suroor’s horses have won the race seven times.

“She had a hard season in Dubai and we ran her in England just to keep her ready for the season here,” he said. “She is a tough filly and we will see how she runs on Thursday.”