Saeed bin Suroor: We salute a super champion....thank you Melbourne

Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor left for America on Sunday, paying tribute to quadruple Cox Plate winner Winx and expressing his gratitude to the Australian racing public for their warmth and generosity during his stay.

Saeed, who has been 25 years in the job, said he had no regrets in bringing Benbatl, a G1 Dubai Turf winner, to Melbourne to challenge Winx for the weight-for-age championship of Australia.

“We are proud of Benbatl and how he has run,” the trainer said. “He was brave in finishing second to a mare, who is one of the all-time greats.

“I don’t think our horse handled the track but he has run well, and I am pleased he has come out of the race ok,” he added.

But Saeed said Benbatl would not run again during the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

“I think he wants a break now. He has won a G1 (Caulfield Stakes) and finished second in the Cox Plate. He has had two hard races. We will take him back to Dubai and run him there in January or February in preparation for another crack at the Dubai Turf in March,” he said.

Saeed has never made any secret of his love of Australian racing and the affection he has for Melbourne in particular.

“I want to thank all those who have made us feel very welcome during our stay. It is a major reason why we like coming to Australia. We enjoy being here.

“We have won two G1s and finished second in the biggest race of the year. It has been a privilege to be so involved at this high level,” he said.

Saeed is heading to Churchill Downs, Kentucky, where he will supervise the final stages of Thunder Snow’s preparation for Saturday’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

He plans to return to Australia straight after the Breeders,’ to saddle Best Solution in the G1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, 6 November.

Moonee Valley, a tight left-handed track with a 173m home straight, has seen some extraordinary scenes over the years. It generates a crowd response that is unique.

Over 50,000 flocked to the course in 1967 to see Tobin Bronze win the second of his Cox Plates before being shipped off to America, where he enjoyed a fruitful racing career. The grandstands erupted with applause and adulation.

In 1986, two brilliant Kiwis, Bonecrusher and Our Waverley Star, fought out the finish to what many argue was the ‘race of the century’.....and again, the feeling was we had witnessed something almost beyond belief.

On Saturday, Winx’s fourth Cox Plate was something similar. It was an ‘I was there’ experience that will be related whenever the opportunity arises. It was a very special day in Australian racing.