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| Staff Writer |
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On Saturday, Mawj will be racing in the Breeders' Cup Mile (Gr.1), and Saeed bin Suroor, her trainer, is confident that she has what it takes to win. Mawj is a homebred from Godolphin and the daughter of Exceed And Excel. She will be trying to become her sire's third Breeders' Cup winner, and also follow in the footsteps of her half-brother, Modern Games (IRE), who won last year's Mile. Recently, Mawj completed her preparation with a 7f workout in 1:28 2/5, accompanied by her stablemate, White Moonlight, who has placed in Group Two races.
“It was a good work,” bin Suroor said. “On the dirt, she’s not going to show a lot, really, but she did a nice routine work of seven furlongs, which is what we do with her before a race and now will have an easy time going into the Breeders’ Cup Mile. She worked with White Moonlight, who runs on Friday in a Listed race here. Mawj is far better on the turf, but she’s doing well. It was a nice work for her and we’ll go from there. I’m hoping to draw somewhere in the middle with her. She will show speed and go to the front.”
“She’s going into the Mile because I think that’s her best distance,” bin Suroor explained. “I know she won at Keeneland over nine furlongs, but she has a lot of speed and that makes me think the mile is her trip and a lot better than a mile and a quarter for her.
“She will improve from the race and she hadn’t run since May and needed the race, for sure. It was very good for her to win when she needed the run, but she’s a tough filly with a big heart who always tries hard. She’s doing good and she travelled really well from Kentucky to here. She’s been enjoying her exercise and I’m really happy with her.
“If she’s happy, that makes me happy,” said Suroor.
Bin Suroor has won two Breeders' Cup races with Daylami (1999) and Fantastic Light (2001) in the
Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (Gr.1). At the last World Championships at Santa Anita, he had 14 starters and surprisingly won the Juvenile with 30-1 longshot Vale of York (IRE), which made him very happy. Walking around Clocker's Corner, he seems to have shipped well with his filly.
“I actually won my first Group One here at Santa Anita in 1995 with Red Bishop in the San Juan Capistrano, so it’s always good to be back,” he concluded. “And I have won a Breeders’ Cup here, which makes it even better.”