Saeed Bin Suroor trained the great Dubai Millenium © Photo Healy Racing
Saeed bin Suroor hailed Dubai Millennium as a “special” horse on hearing he is the latest to be voted into the Qipco British Champions Series Hall of Fame.
Bin Suroor was referring to his ability to run to an incredibly high level on both turf and dirt, something City Of Troy is hoping to emulate later this year.
Originally named Yaazer and with David Loder, Dubai Millennium won nine of his 10 races, with his only defeat coming in the 1999 Derby at Epsom when ninth behind Oath. He went on to win the Prix Jacques le Marois, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Dubai World Cup and Prince of Wales’s Stakes.
In seeing off another former Bin Suroor inmate in Daylami, Aidan O’Brien’s teak-tough Giant’s Causeway and John Hammond’s brilliant Montjeu in a public vote, Dubai Millennium joins the likes of Frankel, Brigadier Gerard and Nijinsky in the Hall of Fame.
“All those four horses on the shortlist were superstars, everybody would know them worldwide, not just in the UK,” said Bin Suroor.
“Dubai Millennium was special and the public obviously agree. We took him everywhere, he won a Dubai World Cup, in France and at Royal Ascot.
“He always ran in the top races and always won well. Even in the Dubai World Cup he broke the track record at Nad Al Sheba.
“What he was able to do was unusual, winning on turf and dirt, not many have been able to do it at the highest level since.”
He went on: “Horse racing needs horses like Dubai Millennium. It is 24 years now and no horse has done it since, that is why he was special. We are happy to win this award.
“Coolmore always have good horses, all over the world, America, Europe and Australia. But in 2000, Dubai Millennium was something special.
“He also proved himself as a stallion in just one year, producing Dubawi and he’s now one of the best stallions in the world. It shows how special he was to produce a horse like that from one crop.
“It’s nice he’s been voted for by the public.”
There will be a ceremony inducting Dubai Millennium – who was ridden by Frankie Dettori in every race except the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, when American superstar Jerry Bailey deputised as the Italian was recovering from injuries suffered in a plane crash – on Champions Day at Ascot on October 19.
