3 minute read
Saeed bin Suroor's Classic winner Mawj will head to Dubai for a winter campaign on the back of her narrow defeat to Master Of The Seas in the Breeders' Cup Mile on Saturday.
Mawj gave bin Suroor a day to remember when she narrowly got the better of subsequent multiple Group 1 winner Tahiyra in the 1000 Guineas back in May. The daughter of Exceed And Excel was then forced to sit on the sidelines for the middle part of the season through injury but returned to the track with victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland in October.
She remained in America to be prepared for the Breeders' Cup Mile and came within a nose of a famous success, having been run down late on by fellow Godolphin-owned Master Of The Seas, who came with a wet sail to get up under the shadows of the post.
Reflecting on the agonising defeat, Saeed bin Suroor was nothing but proud of his Classic winning heroine.
He said: "She ran a huge race and we thought she was going to win, but she was beaten by a good horse, also a Godolphin horse, and I'm happy for Charlie [Appleby].
"Our filly is tough and hard, and it was the first time she ran with the colts. She proved herself good enough to be with them.
"Oisin gave her a very good ride, he did everything right and she ran a huge race."
A trip to Dubai now looks on the cards for Mawj, with both the Jebel Hatta and Dubai Turf coming under consideration.
"Now she is going back to Dubai, and we'll try and find a race for her, maybe the Jebel Hatta and then the Dubai Turf. After that we'll find races for her in the UK and Europe," the trainer added.
"I think a mile is her best trip, but sometimes it can be hard to find races for her. I know she won over nine furlongs at Keeneland, but at the mile, I think she is at her best."