Trainer Saeed Bin Surour is a person who can easily mask his emotions, be it in victory or in defeat. He has mastered the art of expressing no sentiments.

However, when I telephoned him at Newmarket on Wednesday to inquire about the rather surprising retirements of his two Dubai World Cup (G1) winners African Story and Prince Bishop, I could detect a little bit of dejection in his voice. Just a little.

It’s not the easiest of things to do to be calling someone to get a comment or reaction on a retirement, let alone horses of the calibre of African Story and Prince Bishop, back-to-back winners of the world’s richest race. Horses who had proven that they could perform at the highest level and were capable of holding their own against the best in the world.

“They have given us all that we asked of them, there was nothing left for them to prove,” the veteran Godolphin handler told me, stoically. “They are both eight-year-olds and have had a tough and competitive racing life. They have earned their retirement.”

Even so, we all want our champions to go on and on forever. I’m sure the great jumps jockey Tony McCoy will relate to what I’m saying, having on Saturday called time on a career that gave him, and the racing public, so much joy.

As the Irish great said prior to riding for the last time at Sandown Park, “I wish I could do it for another 20 years, that’s for sure.”

We all know that there comes a time in a sportsman’s life when he must put his hands up and say, “enough”. But when is the right time?

McCoy is going out at the peak of his career, just like Rocky Marciano did after scoring his 49th victory, or footballers Eric Cantona and George Best for that matter, or even Michael Jordan, who quit when they were at the top of their game.

Similarly, African Story and Prince Bishop’s timing seems perfect in the racing world, both having won the biggest prize of all.

I’m not sure it will be the correct thing to quantify the results of their respective achievements with numbers, Dirham signs, stars or ratings, but it will not be inappropriate to say that they have done their fair share to earn their niches among the great winners of the Dubai World Cup.

But let’s try to put things in perspective before we get swept away by our sentiments.

African Story won eight of 21 starts over six years of racing and earned close to $8million (Dh29 million). His victories include the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3, the Group 2 Godolphin Mile, and two editions of the Burj Nahaar in the UAE alone. He was also a multiple Group 3 placed runner in France for Andre Fabre, before being transferred to Bin Surour in Dubai.

Prince Bishop ended his career with 11 wins in 28 starts with returns of over $7 million in earnings. The son of top Darley stallion Dubawi, his victories came in the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 and the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 in the UAE, the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris and Group 3 Prix du Prince d’Orange in France, and two runnings of the Group 3 September Stakes in England.

When I asked Bin Surour to put their achievements in perspective and to compare them with some of the greatest horses he has trained, he categorically refused to be drawn into any sort of debate.

“Every horse should be judged on what he has achieved, not against what other horses have achieved,” he said. “I don’t like comparisons, they count for nothing. They are biased.

“But I can tell you that both African Story and Prince Bishop gave me, us, so much of pleasure. They were with us for a long time and we had grown to become attached to both of them. You don’t always have eight-year-olds performing at such a high level as they did. That’s where they stood out. They were very tough and reliable racehorses.

“Obviously we are going to miss them, but you have to let go at some time.”

Till the next African Story or Prince Bishop comes along.