Saeed bin Suroor
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Saeed pictured on Newmarket Heath
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Accepting the 2009 English St Leger Trophy following Mastery's success at Doncaster
©Bill Selwyn
Saeed overseeing the daily work at Al Quoz Stables in Dubai
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Name: Saeed bin Suroor
Job Title: Trainer
Saeed bin Suroor is Godolphin’s trainer, overseeing the preparation of the horses on a daily basis.
Born in Dubai on November 16, 1968, he was brought up with horses and enjoyed riding and working with them from an early age.
Horses occupied most of his leisure time. He was an officer of the police force in the emirate but started training a few horses and then came to the attention of Godolphin’s founder, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who sent him 30 horses in 1992.
These horses did well and what followed was a life-changing offer of a job that has resulted in his current status as one of the most recognisable and important people in world horseracing.
Saeed bin Suroor was appointed the Godolphin trainer ahead of the 1995 season and quickly made his mark, collecting the first of four British trainers’ championships the next year, before following up in 1998, 1999 and 2004.
He enjoyed a phenomenal first season with Godolphin as he trained the unbeaten Lammtarra to win Europe’s top three races - the 1995 Derby at Epsom Downs, Ascot’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, France.
Lammtarra was expertly nursed back to health from a bout of colic to win the Derby on his seasonal debut and Saeed bin Suroor oversaw the colt’s remarkable campaign of success.
That debut year brought further British Classic triumphs for Saeed bin Suroor, thanks to the exploits of Moonshell (Oaks) and Classic Cliche (St Leger).
Godolphin’s trainer, aided by excellent staff, has a tremendous record in major races and Cape Verdi’s 1,000 Guineas win at Newmarket in 1998 completed the full set of British Classics.
Godolphin has enjoyed numerous big-race wins worldwide and Saeed bin Suroor saddled the stable’s 100th Grade/Group One winner - achieved with Sulamani’s victory in the Arlington Million in 2003.
Saeed celebrated another century at the 2008 Royal Ascot meeting when Campanologist secured Godophin’s 100th Group/Grade Two sucesss by winning the King Edward VII Stakes under Frankie Dettori.
He has trained five winners of the world’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup, for Godolphin, with the first being Almutawakel in 1999.
The brilliant Dubai Millennium, the best horse Saeed bin Suroor and Godolphin have had so far, scored a scintillating victory in the 2000 renewal, while Street Cry (2002), Moon Ballad (2003) and Electrocutionist (2006) complete the quintet.
He has also enjoyed success at America’s premier meeting, the Breeders’ Cup, having saddled Daylami (1999) and Fantastic Light (2001) to famous triumphs in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, while France’s premier race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, has fallen to Sakhee (2001) and Marienbard (2002) as well as Lammtarra.
In October, 2008, the trainer broke new ground with Godolphin’s first Group One winner in Australia when All The Good won the Caulfield Cup, while an initial Turkish success came the following year when Balius won the Anatolia Trophy at Veliefendi.
In 2009, Saeed bin Suroor oversaw Godolphin’s most successful year in the number of races won. He sent out KhorDubai to become the international stable’s 200th worldwide winner of the campaign on November 18. Schiaparelli‘s triumph in the Group Two Darley Prix Kergorlay at Deauville, France in August 2009 saw Godolphin reach yet another notable landmark of 500 Group/Grade and Listed race victories since the stable’s inception. The stable also enjoyed a record 57 Group/Grade and Listed triumphs, with 13 coming in Group/Grade One company during the year.
The 2009 haul included a further English Classic triumph with Mastery in the St Leger and another Breeders’ Cup victory when Vale Of York landed the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
- To view Saeed bin Suroor's Photo Gallery, please click here.
- For Godolphin’s overall statistics, please click here.