 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Oisin Murphy is set to reunite with Mawj, the 1000 Guineas heroine trained by Saeed bin Suroor, at Keeneland on Saturday night. She will be competing in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.
Bin Suroor's charge has been off the track since defeating Tahiyra from Dermot Weld's stable to win the Classic honors at Newmarket. The battle-hardened 3YO will be racing in the US$600,000 contest over a mile and a furlong in the United States for her comeback run. The horse has settled in well in Kentucky, and her trainer from Godolphin is optimistic about her chances, feeling that she is in a good place.
“She has arrived there and is out of quarantine and away now to the stables,” said Bin Suroor. “She is looking good, is in good form and happy, and we are looking forward to running her Saturday. Oisin Murphy is going over to ride and so far is so good. She has done her main work in Newmarket and Oisin rode her in her last piece of work on the Limekilns round gallop. We’re hoping we will see good results from her again.
“She will have to be in a good position in the race, but as usual I like to have my horses handy and if she is somewhere close I would be happy. Oisin knows her well and so far so good.”
Mawj will have new assignments in the US in less than a month. Her performance in Keeneland will be crucial in determining her running plans for the upcoming Breeders' Cup. Depending on how she performs, she may either stick to a mile or extend her distance to 10 furlongs for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
“She could go for the Mile or the Filly & Mare,” continued the trainer. “It is between the two races and we will see. We have to see which horses are running and which race might suit her.”