Top Godolphin trainer, Saeed bin Suroor needs no introduction. His pupil, defending champion Thunder Snow is the favourite for the Dubai World Cup race. The Emarati trainer has saddled 12 British Classic winners including Lammtarra, and has sent out eight Dubai World Cup winners including the brilliant Dubai Millennium in 2000 and most recently, Thunder Snow, victorious in March 2018.
He hopes to seal his ninth Dubai World Cup win in 2019 with Thunder Snow.
The top conditioner speaks to Ten Furlongs in an exclusive telephone interview about the upcoming Dubai World Cup:
Q: You are no stranger to Meydan and to the Dubai World Cup race. You won it 8 times. My question is what would winning the Dubai world cup for two years in a row with Thunder Snow mean to you? Is it about leaving an unmatched legacy about winning at the highest levels again and again? What does it mean?
A: For me it will be very big achievement as no one has achieved this feat of winning the world cup twice so far with the same horse. Thunder Snow is doing well, and he will be at peak fitness on Dubai World Cup night.
Q: You have seen Meydan since its Nad Al Sheba days. What do you like about the new place and what do you miss about the old one?
A: In the old days, there was a smaller crowd and so the Nad Al Sheba race course was good at that time. But now we need a bigger race course to accommodate this crowd. And I also believe this iconic building is something which people come from around the world to see. Today Meydan can the 80,000 people who come on Dubai World Cup day. And when I see this huge and spectacular race track at Meydan I feel very happy.
Q: Who is your racing leadership hero?
A: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. His Highness supports horse racing and he has changed the course of racing history in the past forty years. He is the biggest owner in the world, and I doubt any one will be able to replicate his contribution in this field.
Everyone is in love with him for his contribution to the racing industry.
Q: What was the first leadership lesson you learnt in racing?
A: The most important less one learns is patience. Patience with the horse and the sport. It takes years. You must give the horse time to develop into his potential. You should try to select the right people to work with. Choosing the best professionals and the best horses makes your life easy.
You win in the end if you give your horse time.
Q: Which is Dubai World Cup race you remember the most?
A: I think the best Dubai World Cup was the year when Dubai Millennium won.
Q: When you started racing your horses in the truly iconic races in this world, from those first events which one(s) do you remember the most?
A: I remember my first Group One very well in 1995 with a horse named Red Bishop at Santa Anita. (He has recorded over 2,000 race wins around the world, with 188 of these at Group One level.)
Q: Who is your favourite racehorse of all time and why?
A: My favourite racehorse is Dubai Millennium. He was a fantastic horse. I was devastated when he died. We can see his legacy live on through his son Dubawi who is currently, the top stallion in the whole world.
Q: How did you get involved with racing?
A: My family has been into horse breeding and racing for generations. Even now everyone in my family is involved in the racing, training and breeding industry. I am lucky because I have had the chance to work with the best horses in the world. Things look good.
Q: And finally, what would you like to achieve in the next five years?
A: There are just three major races (in the world) which I am yet to win. It is my goal, to find the right horses and to win these races in the near future
Credit: Pallavi Shevade pallavi.shevade@secretariatsworld.com