Best Solution’s win in the Caulfield Cup has whetted the appetite of the Godolphin operation.
Saturday’s victory in the 2400m Group One handicap was Saeed bin Suroor’s second but he is desperately chasing a first Melbourne Cup.
Central Park, Give The Slip and Crime Scene have all finished second for bin Suroor in the race he has been trying to win for more than 20 years.
While the Melbourne Cup remains the goal with Best Solution, bin Suroor’s immediate attention switches to Saturday’s Cox Plate at Moonee Valley where he goes about trying to stop Winx from a historic fourth victory.
The Godolphin team has been planning an assault on the 2018 Cox Plate since January with Benbatl and the first stage of the plan came to fruition when he was successful in the Caulfield Stakes on October 13.
“He needed the race before as he hadn’t raced since August,” bin Suroor said.
“Myself, I don’t like to run horses too quick.
“Usually I give them three weeks between races but because he was in quarantine I had to run him in the Caulfield Stakes.
“He won well. He’s ready, he’s happy, he looks well and in good form but he races the superstar filly Winx.
“To me she’s the best in Australian racing history but my horse is in good form between Dubai, Germany and Australia.”
Rain before the Caulfield Cup meeting had a softening effect which Best Solution relished with bin Suroor saying similar conditions at Moonee Valley would be perfect.
“My horse, he’s by Dubawi, and he prefers rain and if there is rain there it can help,” bin Suroor said.
“I’ve looked at the forecast and there looks like a shower somewhere in Australia and hopefully it moves to the racecourse.
“If we beat Winx, great. If she wins, she the best, a star.
“I have a lot of respect for her.”
Winx and Benbatl will be joined by last year’s runner-up Humidor, another Godolphin horse, the James Cummings-trained Avilius, and last-start New Zealand Group One winner Savvy Coup.
Toorak Handicap placegetter Siege Of Quebec is a possibility as is Irreland’s Rostropovich.
After galloping at Moonee Valley on Saturday El Dorado Dreaming could join the line-up along with Caulfield Cup runner-up Homesman, Kings Will Dream, Trap For Fools and Blair House, runner-up to Benbatl in the Caulfield Stakes.
