Thirty years on and Bin Suroor will never forget Lammtarra

Leader Live

2 days ago

Saeed bin Suroor had not held a licence for long when he saddled the chestnut on that first Saturday in June.
In fact, he did not even train Lammtarra when the flashy colt made a winning debut in a Listed race in August 1994, his only run at two. That honour went to Alex Scott, who was tragically shot dead by a groom at his stud in Newmarket just a month later.
Lammtarra was transferred to the care of the little known at the time Bin Suroor and the rest, as they say, is history.
In a classy renewal, Walter Swinburn delivered his inexperienced partner late to deny Tamure and a certain Frankie Dettori, who would go on to have a long and successful partnership with Bin Suroor.
The history of the Turf is long and illustrious. But there have been few careers like that of Lammtarra. In just four lifetime starts he won the Derby, the King George and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the three most prestigious mile-and-a-half races in Europe.
Bin Suroor has since been champion trainer four times and trained 12 further Classic winners – but he knows he owes a massive debt to Lammtarra.
His string is much smaller these days, but he proved when Mawj won the 1000 Guineas just two years ago that given the right ammunition he is still capable of winning the biggest races.
He had runners in both the 1000 and 2000 Guineas this year, in Elwateen and Tornado Alert respectively, and both outran their big odds to finish fourth. Tornado Alert now tries to win him a second Derby.
'It is 30 years since Lammtarra which seems a long time, it would be great to win it again, it's the biggest race so it makes me want to win it more,' said Bin Suroor.
'The reason it is so special is because it is very hard to win, only one horse can win it every year.
'I remember Lammtarra well. We got him at the end of his two-year-old season and we obviously knew he was good as he won a Listed race on his debut.
'We took him out to Dubai to train and he was working very well. He was not a big horse, he was quite small, but he had a big engine with a big heart and a good turn of foot.
'He used to work with all our good horses and I never saw him lose a gallop.'
Of course one of the quirks of the racing and breeding industries is the more successful a colt is on the track at three, the less chance there is of them racing on at four as they become so valuable, and that was the case with Lammtarra.
'Once he had won the Derby we felt we only wanted him to run in the biggest races,' Bin Suroor went on.
'We took him to the King George and the Arc, the toughest races, but every time he held his form.
'He was a rare horse because what he showed you in the morning he also showed you on the track, they don't always. He was so special.'
Bin Suroor went on to train Dubai Millennium, who failed to stay when tried in the 1999 Derby won by Oath. But that was his only defeat in 10 races, being at his best over a mile and 10 furlongs.
'Lammtarra was the best I trained over a mile and a half. Dubai Millennium didn't stay in the Derby, but we had to try. Over 10 furlongs Dubai Millennium would have been the best,' he said.
'To win the Derby, the King George and the Arc, the three biggest mile-and-a-half races tells you he was the best at that distance – on any ground, too, as he won the Derby on fast ground and the Arc on heavy.
'I owe him a lot, he came early in my career and achieved so much.
'The Derby is the best race in the world, it is so hard to win, for me to win it not long after starting meant so much. The winner is the best and to win it is very special for the horse, the owner and the trainer.
'I would love to win a Derby for Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin now.'