Benbatl all set for Cox Plate challenge

GODOLPHIN trainer Saeed bin Suroor hasn’t given a second’s thought about the sort of reception he and his horse Benbatl would receive if they can pull off racing’s greatest upset – beating Winx in Saturday’s Cox Plate.

But while he stressed his admiration for the wonder mare, and her trainer Chris Waller, continues to swell, it won’t stop him from trying to plot her undoing.

When asked yesterday if he feared the crowd at the Valley would turn against him, bin Suroor smiled and said: “We’ll see what happens.

“I have a lot of respect for (Winx) and I have a lot of respect for the trainer and the owners. I wish them good luck, too.

“Winx is a superstar … I always watch (her). She is the best of the best. All the world will be watching on Saturday.

“My horse (Benbatl), if it won, that would be great. If she wins, she would be the best in Australian history.”

Fresh from winning the first leg of the big three Melbourne races this spring – last Saturday’s Caulfield Cup with Best Solution – bin Suroor is hopeful Benbatl can add the second part on Saturday.

And if there is any rain, that would only increase the horse’s chances.

“He is in good form,” bin Suroor said of Benbatl, who won the Caulfield Stakes.

“He is a proven horse and if there is any rain, it would be good for him.

“Barrier three (means) he is going to take a nice position early, to be somewhere close in the race. If my horse was second or third (in the running), I’d be happy.”