Dubai: Highly successful thoroughbred trainer Saeed Bin Surour has paid glowing tributes to two of his Dubai World Cup (G1) winners, African Story and Prince Bishop, who were both retired on Wednesday.
African Story won the 2014 edition of the $10million (Dh 36.7 million) contest on the all-weather surface at Meydan Racecourse, and Prince Bishop reprised the feat when beating a world-class field including American Horse of the Year California Chrome, at the first running of the race on a dirt surface at the same track.
Both horses raced under the banner of the Godolphin stable which was founded in 1992 by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Prince Bishop was owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.
John Ferguson, Bloodstock Adviser to Shaikh Mohammed, told the Godolphin website: “They have both been remarkable racehorses over the years, and have run on Dubai World Cup night each of the past four years. They have both won the biggest prize in world racing.
“They retire having given the Maktoum family many days of great pride and enjoyment. Shaikh Mohammad felt it was the right thing to retire them from the racetrack but not to abruptly end their involvement in day-to-day activity in the stable, which they enjoy immensely.”
Bin Surour was equally effusive in his praise and added: “Both African Story and Prince Bishop have been very special horses to the Godolphin stable. They had a lot in common, both had big hearts and gave one hundred per cent every time you put them in a race. They were as genuine as a race horse can be.
“Obviously it is sad that they are no longer a part of our racing stable but they will be kept active wherever they are sent to retire. Both of them are geldings, so obviously there are no stud duties, but they have earned their time off, after having performed for years at the very highest and competitive levels,” added the seven-time Dubai World Cup-winning handler.
Asked to compare African Story and Prince Bishop, who were originally trained in France by Andre Fabre, with other great Godolphin horses. Bin Surour said: “I don’t think it will be fair to compare them, they are both exceptional individuals who have given us so much of satisfaction.
“They proved that they could adapt to any challenges you gave them and were both very durable.
“The fact that they could each compete in top races like the Dubai World Cup night four years on the trot says a lot for their class and durability,” the trainer added.
“On a personal level I will miss them as they won back-to-back Dubai World Cups for me, and the stable. It’s not an easy feat taking on the best horses from around the world and beating them. They gave me a lot of pride.
“I only hope we can find more horses with the ability and attitude that African Story and Prince Bishop had.”
African Story, a son of Pivotal, won eight of his 21 starts and earned £4.7m (Dh25.8 million) in prize money, while Prince Bishop, who is by Dubawi, was successful in 11 of his 28 starts and also earned over £4.5m in prize money. He ran in three Dubai World Cups at Meydan, winning the 2015 edition on sand, a surface that was not to his liking.
