When Mawj held on to win the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket last month, elation was coupled with palpable relief for trainer, Saeed bin Suroor and jockey Oisin Murphy.
Both are looking to reclaim their pre-eminent positions in the sport, Bin Suroor as a four-time former champion trainer in England and, Murphy back after a 14-month ban, a three-time leading rider. The hard fought win over the Rowley Mile hints at better times ahead.
It was Bin Suroor’s first English Classic success for 14 years a period in which, having carried all before him for two decades, he has been eclipsed by Godolphin’s other trainer in Britain, Charlie Appleby.
Bin Suroor, 56, is philosophical enough to accept the swings of fortune and fate that accompany sport at the highest level.
More importantly, as Godolphin’s longest serving trainer, he knows he retains the confidence and support of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. “It was just like the old days when we had all the stars,” Bin Suroor said of the Guineas triumph. “The Boss was very happy!”
Murphy’s fall from grace was rather more self-inflicted for a likeable young man who for years has had to carry the mantle of the next Frankie Dettori.
Having only returned to the saddle in February, winning on Mawj was confirmation that he has lost none of his considerable swashbuckling edge. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” the emotional Irishman said.
Trainer, jockey and horse will be reunited next week at Royal Ascot, where Mawj will be the Stanley House flag bearer in the Coronation Stakes on Friday.
It is a race Godolphin has never won and set to be a high class renewal, but Bin Suroor doesn’t see why his "tiny filly with a big heart" will not again prevail. “It will be a very tough race but we will be there,” he said.
“She is the one star in the stables. She has given everyone such a big boost. It is brilliant. It means so much to me. She has everything. She is easy to train. She is a very tough filly who never gives up.
“Royal Ascot excites me, big time. I have been champion trainer there five times. It is my favourite racetrack. People love going there. It is huge in the racing world.
“We are looking forward to running there. We have maybe two in the Royal Hunt Cup and a few other options.
“I am always optimistic about the future. Very positive. You have to be very patient. This game is very tough. It is hard to find a good one. When you do it is so good for everyone.”
He has nothing but praise for Murphy. “He is one of the best in the world. I believed in this man from day one before anybody really knew about him or who he was. I support him. I met him and liked the way he rides. People like him. He is so talented.”
That takes the conversation on to Dettori with whom Bin Suroor has worked for 30 years. “It is sad he is retiring. But it is good that he is retiring when he is on top. Frankie is a star. Everybody in the world wants to be like Frankie. The public loves him around the world.
“He will be very difficult to replace. There are very good jockeys worldwide but Frankie makes racing exciting. People come to see racing to see Frankie and because of Frankie.”
Nor, in Bin Suroor’s opinion, will the sport ever see another Sheikh Mohammed.
“Nobody has done anything like it in the past and nobody will do it in the future,” he said. “No way. He has been in horse racing worldwide for 50 years. He supports the sport big time in America, Japan. Europe, Australia, England, Dubai. He loves it. It is in his blood.
“The Boss is very special. He is a great man. He understands the sport so well. Win or lose, he smiles. There is always the next time. He knows that horses are not machines.”
They first met in 1992 in Dubai. Three years later Sheikh Mohammed set him up in Newmarket. For the best part of 15 years together they cut an all blue swathe through the sport. Major races fell to him almost as a matter of routine; 12 Classics in all the last of which before Mawj, was Mastery in the 2009 St Leger.
In nine years he was champion trainer on four occasions. The horses he sent out read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of racing from around the turn of the century with the likes of Dubai Millennium, Daylami, Mark of Esteem and Halling as well as well as the Derby winner Lammtarra. “It was magical,” Bin Suroor said. “The horses were just superb.”
In recent times it is Appleby, who started life as Bin Suroor’s travelling head lad and who he holds in high esteem who has held the upper hand. “He is my friend I like him he is a very nice man,” he continued. “He has super horses, a different class to anything anywhere in the world.”
I understand this life. Horses teach you how to be patient ... You learn a lot from horses
Saeed bin Suroor
Bin Suroor, a former policeman, was born in Dubai in 1966. At the age of 23 he became a trainer mainly looking after horses for family and friends. His exploits came to the attention of Sheikh Mohammed.
“He asked people, ‘Who is this guy?,’ Bin Suroor explained. “He wanted to know more. Then one day he asked me to train for him. I said, ‘Yes.’ From that moment in early 1993 my life changed.
“In the old days when Sheikh Mohammed came here, he would come round at evening stables. I would say, ‘Sir, this is a six-time Group 1 winner, this is a five-time Group 1 winner. When there was a Group 2 we didn’t show the horse to him. It was not that important to us.
“Now we have another Classic. It is so good.”
But he will not get carried away. “I understand this life. Horses teach you how to be patient. If there is something wrong with a horse you have to wait, sometimes a year or even two to look after them. You learn a lot from horses. My ambition is as strong as ever.”
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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More on Coronavirus in France
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
Draw:
Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi
Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania
Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola
Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
SCORES
Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
(Tom Kohler 72 not out, Harry Broook 42 not out)
bt Hobart Hurricanes 140-7 in 20 overs
(Caleb Jewell 38, Sean Willis 35, Karl Carver 2-29, Josh Shaw 2-39)
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
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Pathaan
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
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