'Yes, things have changed a little - but I'll be back with the right horse'

As the arrival of grey and portentous storm clouds over Newmarket announces the end of our Indian summer, Saeed bin Suroor is already mentally preparing himself for the next phase of his year on the turf. His suitcase isn't quite packed but, like a swallow perched on a telephone wire, he's readying himself for the moment when the insistent rhythms of the global racing industry urge him to warmer climes for the winter.

As the dusk falls on Champions Day, he'll be flexing his wings in preparation for the long haul to Melbourne, then Hong Kong and Japan – all essential stopovers en route to his winter base at Al Quoz Stables in Dubai, whose rich, lush oases of prize-money will be his feeding ground until March.

For many of us, the temptation might be to drag our feet, to linger in the UAE for another few weeks after that, to be sure the worst injustices of the British weather will be gone by the time we return. But for Bin Suroor, the lure of racing's headquarters is too strong to allow any dilly-dallying, even should such dilly-dallying be tolerated by those demanding souls at the helm of Godolphin.