Saeed bin Suroor and Best Solution.
Image: Racing Photos
Saeed set for Winx Batl
By James Tzaferis
Saeed bin Suroor isn’t one to dwell on the past.
Not even when it means looking back less than 24 hours to reflect on one his biggest moments as a trainer in Saturday’s Stella Artois Caulfield Cup.
Godolphin’s long-time general is more interested in looking forward and this week that means plotting the downfall of one of Australian racing’s great fairytales.
Bin Suroor can’t wait to saddle up Benbatl in Saturday’s $5 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) as he chases a third Australian Group 1 win in as many weeks.
As a three-time Group 1 winner including the Labrokes Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield last start, the five-year-old entire oozes class and, according to most markets where he is as short as $9, shapes as the only really threat to Winx’s quest for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Cox Plate.
“I have a lot of respect for her (Winx) but we’ll take our chance and see how we go,” Bin Suroor said on Sunday morning.
“This has been the plan since January to send Benbatl to Australia to run in the Cox Plate.
“He’s ready, he’s happy and he looks good.
“My horse is in good form, he’s a three-time Group 1 winner in Dubai, Germany and Australia.”
And while all of his wins have come on Good-rated surfaces, Bin Suroor hinted that Benbatl may pose a bigger threat to WInx on a rain-affected track.
The Bureau of Meteorology is currently forecasting up to 12mm of rain in Melbourne across Friday and Saturday.
“He’s by Dubawi and he will prefer rain so if there is rain there it can change the result,” he said.
“If we can beat Winx that would be great but if she wins, she’s the best of the best.”
The trainer also reported that Caulfield Cup hero Best Solution had come through Saturday’s race well and would line up as his best ever chance in a Melbourne Cup next month.
Bin Suroor has three times saddled the Melbourne Cup runner-up – Central Park (1999), Give The Slip (2001) and Crime Scene (2009) – but has little doubt that Best Solution is the best credentialed stayer he’s campaigned in Melbourne.
“It’s a very hard race to win, myself I’ve finished second three times,” he said.
“I know it’s two miles but at the end of the day you need a horse with speed and class.
“We think this horse is the right one and he proved that (yesterday).”
Best Solution (inside) narrowly defeated Homesman.
IImage: Racing Post
Best Solution wins Caulfield Cup
By Andrew Eddy
Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Pat Cosgrave heads to the Melbourne Cup full of confidence he can help break Godolphin’s curse in the race after declaring that everything went wrong for his winning mount Best Solution during Saturday’s $5 million feature.
“I’ve got to give all credit to the horse,” Cosgrave said after his narrow but incredible victory. “I had a bad trip around the course. I had a bad draw, jumped slow and had to commit earlier than I should have.
“He was there to be beaten.”
Cosgrave said Flemington now loomed large for the horse that has given the rider three Group 1 wins in a row following two recent successes in Germany.
“I think anything is possible after today. He should have got beaten because he had such a bad trip and everything went wrong for me.”
The victory by Best Solution, who carried top weight of 57.5kg, made it back-to-back Group 1 wins for bin Suroor and Cosgrave, who last week took the Caulfield Stakes in spectacular fashion aboard Benbatl.
Cosgrave has found a new love in his short time in Australia.
“Caulfield is just a great place. My two big winners of my career have been here. I’m in dreamland now, it’s just crazy,” he said.
Starting at $12, the first 30 seconds of the race could not have been worse for Cosgrave. He missed the start noticeably from barrier 15 and was the widest horse out of the straight as he searched for a forward position.
He finally got across to one off the fence but had spent so much fuel, Cosgrave had his doubts.
“But he’s a very good horse, very strong,” Cosgrave said.
On the line, Best Solution had a half-head margin over Homesman ($9.50), with a length-and-three-quarters to The Cliffsofmoher ($6.50) in third place.
For trainer Saeed bin Suroor, he might not have won a Melbourne Cup yet but he now has two Caulfield Cups following the success 10 years ago of All The Good.
The trainer, who has won eight Group 1 races throughout the world this year, paid tribute to Sheikh Mohammed for targeting the Caulfield Cup with Best Solution.
“It was his decision to send this horse to Australia and it’s great to see Best Solution come after winning two Group 1 races in Germany to Australia,” he said. “It’s very satisfying.”
Bin Suroor has finished runner-up in the Melbourne Cup three times but confirmed Best Solution would be trying to break the losing run in the race that stretches back 20 years.
“The Melbourne Cup is a big race for us. It would be a dream but we’ll try.”
For Lloyd Williams’ team, they failed to win the Caulfield Cup but their three horses all finished in the top five placings and threaten to again be prominent at The Valley next weekend as well as at Flemington.
Williams’ son Nick said of the runner-up Homesman: “He ran a blinder. Benny (Melham) gave him a great ride and gave him every possible chance.
“He was in front before the line and after the line.
“Let’s be honest. A great horse has won the race. I thought the winner had a terrific chance in the race and it would be pretty hard to begrudge Sheik Mohammed and his team winning any of these races.”
As for The Cliffofmoher, he said: “Hugh (Bowman) was a little disappointed. He thought at the top of the straight that he thought he was going to win, but it didn’t pan out that way.
“Obviously the way the race was run did not suit The Taj Mahal. James (McDonald) elected to go back on him early and with those very slow fractions in the race made it very hard for him but he still ran very well.
“It was probably a good Melbourne Cup trial.”
Best Solution now just has Herbert Power Stakes winner Yucatan ($7.50) in front of him in the market for the Melbourne Cup after his astonishing performance. He was wound into $9 from the $26 that had been bet before the Caulfield Cup.
The local favourites Kings Will Dream (sixth) and Youngstar (seventh) were unsuited by the muddling pace of the race but both finished off well for top-10 finishes.
This article first appeared on Racing.com and is reprinted here with their kind permission. To find out more about Racing Victoria’s Off the Track program, visit rv.racing.com/the-horse/off-the-track.
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