Dubai: Long-serving Godolphin handler Saeed Bin Surour is relishing the prospect of competing for some of the top prizes on Super Saturday, next week’s major dress rehearsal for the Dubai World Cup on March 29.
The Emirati handler’s horses are running into strong form, as vindicated by the thumping success of Cavalryman at Meydan on Thursday evening, filling him with hope and confidence.
A Darley homebred, Cavalryman shattered the course record for 2,800m when storming home a five-length winner of the Group 3 $200,000 Nad Al Sheba Trophy, a prep for the two-mile $1 million Dubai Gold Cup Trophy on World Cup night.
Ridden with supreme confidence by in-form rider Silvestre de Sousa, the eight-year-old shaved over three seconds of the mark set by Star Empire last year.
Bin Surour was delighted with the performance of his veteran globe-trotter and said: “Cavalryman ran a huge race. We felt that he was coming into the race in good form and had a nice chance. He was very impressive tonight.
“I think that he will be better suited by the two miles of the Dubai Gold Cup, which he won last year, and hopefully he will head there now.
“The horses are running well at the moment and I hope our good form can continue into Super Saturday next week.”
De Sousa, who looks to be in hot form heading into Super Saturday, said he believes Cavalryman is better than ever. “Cavalryman feels in great form and everybody at home has been very happy with him. I couldn’t have asked for a better effort from the horse.
“He loves it in Dubai. I think he likes the sunshine on his back and he enjoys running around Meydan.”
Meanwhile, Capital Attraction ended a seven-race losing streak when landing the District One Phase 1 handicap on the all-weather. Runner-up in last year’s Group 3 Burj Nahaar on Super Saturday, Capital Attraction recorded a smooth success in the 1600m contest to earn a vote for one of the big races on Super Saturday.
“He is such a nice, game horse and it is great to see him back to form,” said his trainer Ernst Oertel. “He is so tough and we might step him up in trip. We will be back next Saturday but will enter in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3, as well as the Burj Nahaar.
“I would love to run him over 2,000m at some stage but we will look at the enties before deciding.”
It is not often that Mike de Kock goes home from Meydan empty-handed and the South African handler was not denied the first of two successes on the night as Kavanagh dug deep to record a narrow victory in the 1,200m turf handicap.
After riding a strong race, Christophe Soumillon said: “He really travelled strongly to carry me into the race but the runner-up really battled hard and made it very tough. I thought we had just made it as my horse had his head down on the line. We thought a lot of him at the start of the season but were a little disappointed with him. I had to be quite strong on him at the end and it’s good to get a win with him.
“It is nice to see him back to form and he clearly likes this straight track.”
Trainer and jockey completed a doubles with the victory of Sanshaawes in the finale, a 2,000m turf handicap.
