Saeed bin Suroor hoping to have his talisman Benbatl back on track next month

Saeed bin Suroor's £5 million earner Benbatl is close to returning to the racecourse nearly a year after he was last seen in action on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile.

The three-time Group 1 winner is back in work at Godolphin stables and could be back racing as early as next month before a potential bid for the Dubai World Cup.

Benbatl was ante-post favourite for the $12 million contest in 2020 having finished third in the Saudi Cup, only for the Meydan feature to be called off at the last minute due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Now a seven-year-old, Benbatl enjoyed his most lucrative year to date in 2018 when landing Group 1 races in Dubai, Germany and Australia before finishing runner-up to Winx in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.

Bin Suroor said: "Benbatl has had a nice break but is now back in full training and he's done some easy exercise on our private gallop at Chippenham recently.

Benbatl: won the Caulfield Stakes in 2018Credit: Vince Caligiuri / Getty Images

"Hopefully we can get him back on the Limekilns in the coming weeks and he could be ready to start back sometime next month."

The son of Dubawi was last seen in competitive action finishing third to Kameko in the Group 2 Joel Stakes at Newmarket last September, a race he had won the previous year, but has not raced since.

Bin Suroor added: "He spent last winter in Newmarket but the plan may be to take him back to Dubai this winter depending on how he performs here first. Races like the Dubai World Cup could be considered."

A winner of over £5m in prize-money, Benbatl has won ten of his 22 races to date, of which nine were at Group level. His trainer has won the Dubai World Cup a record nine times, most recently with Thunder Snow in 2019.

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