Last year’s 1000 Guineas winner Mawj has been retired from racing.

The four-year-old provided trainer Saeed bin Suroor with his first British Classic success in 14 years when holding off Tahiyrah by half a length a thrilling finish to the Newmarket contest.

Her season was then interrupted by a setback, with the daughter of Exceed And Excel eventually returning to action to win the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Stakes at Keeneland in October before rounding off her three-year-old campaign with a nose defeat at the hands of fellow Godolphin runner Master Of The Seas in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Mawj disappointed on her return in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan last month and it has been decided to call time on her career, bowing out the winner of six of her 11 starts, with her juvenile highlight coming when claiming the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket.

Bin Suroor told www.godolphin.com: “Mawj is a very special filly, who showed her brilliance throughout her racing career. It was a fantastic day when she won the 1000 Guineas and I was especially pleased that it was her who provided me with my 500th Group race victory out in Keeneland.

“She proved herself against the best horses across the world, winning in Dubai, the UK and the United States as well as finishing second in a Breeders’ Cup Mile. Everyone at Al Quoz and Godolphin Stables is going to miss her but we look forward to the next stage of her life as a broodmare.”

Saeed bin Suroor is considering a return to America with his top-class filly Mawj following her disappointing return to action at Meydan last week.

The Exceed And Excel filly provided her trainer with a first British Classic success in 14 years when edging out Tahiyra in last season’s 1000 Guineas at Newmarket – and while she missed the summer through injury, she made a triumphant comeback in a Grade One at Keeneland in October.

Mawj very nearly followed up in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita, going down by just a nose to fellow Godolphin runner Master Of The Seas, but weakened quickly to trail home last of nine runners on her four-year-old debut in the Group One Jebel Hatta in Dubai.

Bin Suroor reports his stable star to be none the worse, but has now shelved plans to run her again in his homeland and is instead eyeing a trip to the United States before her eventual return to Britain.

“She has come back well after the race, she was a little bit quiet afterwards and we were disappointed with her,” the trainer admitted.

“There is nothing wrong with her at all, she has come back sound, but she was quiet after the race.

“Now we will look for a race for her, maybe in America in April time. There is a race over a mile at Keeneland and that could be one of the options, then she’ll be back in Europe to run in European races.

“Sometimes things happen in racing, but I spoke to Oisin (Murphy) after the race and there was nothing wrong with her, but it was not her day.

“There are no more races for her in the UAE, as we want to come back to the mile. I know she has won over nine furlongs in the past, but that was against fillies and I think she is better at a mile.”

Mawj will be prepared for a winter campaign in Dubai following her agonising defeat at the Breeders’ Cup on Saturday.

The daughter of Exceed And Excel provided trainer Saeed bin Suroor with his first British Classic success in 14 years when edging out Tahiyra in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May, but subsequently missed the middle part of the season after suffering injury.

She made a successful return from five months off the track in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland in October, though, and remained in America to take on the colts in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Mawj looked likely to prevail after taking over the lead approaching the final furlong at Santa Anita under Oisin Murphy, but was reeled in by fellow Godolphin runner Master Of The Seas, with just a nose separating them at the line.

Having had a couple of days to reflect on the narrowest of reverses, Bin Suroor remained typically gracious in defeat.

He said: “She ran a huge race and we thought she was going to win, but she was beaten by a good horse, also a Godolphin horse, and I’m happy for Charlie (Appleby).

“Our filly is tough and hard and it was the first time she ran with the colts. She proved herself good enough to be with them.

“Oisin gave her a very good ride, he did everything right and she ran a huge race.”

Mawj will now head to Bin Suroor’s home country for the winter carnival at Meydan before returning to Britain next season in search of more major prizes.

“Now she is going back to Dubai and we’ll try and find a race for her, maybe the Jebel Hatta and then the Dubai Turf. After that we’ll find races for her in the UK and Europe,” the trainer added.

“I think a mile is her best trip, but sometimes it can be hard to find races for her. I know she won over nine furlongs at Keeneland, but at the mile I think she is at her best.”

Saeed bin Suroor has fond memories of Santa Anita and is banking on the toughness of Mawj giving him another big-race success at the iconic Los Angeles venue in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Bin Suroor enjoyed one of the first big victories of his career when saddling Red Bishop to win the San Juan Capistrano Invitation Handicap at the California track in 1995 and it is also the scene of the most recent of his three Breeders’ Cup triumphs, when Vale Of York claimed the Juvenile in 2009.

Therefore, it is perhaps the fitting location for the handler to return to the Breeders’ Cup winner’s circle and with a horse who has taken him back into the spotlight thanks to her 1000 Guineas triumph in the spring.

Mawj has been seen just the once since that game Classic triumph over Tahiyra, when she provided her trainer with a historic 500th Group or Graded victory in Keeneland’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup last month.

That trip to Kentucky was seen as the ideal spot to tune-up for Breeders’ Cup competition and Bin Suroor feels she has all the attributes to make her presence felt up against colts for the first time.

He said: “She has got a good draw in stall six and everything is so far so good with her and I’m happy.

“The filly worked last Saturday and worked well and she looked good when she has been doing her exercise routines (out in Santa Anita).

“She will be running with colts, but she is a tough filly. She has proved that in the English Guineas, out in America and in Dubai also and she is always trying hard. She is tough and has a big heart.

“The draw will help her and Oisin Murphy knows her well. He knows I like to see her handy in her races, if she is close or in front it is good for her, it is what she likes. She’s a tough filly.

“The Breeders’ Cup is a big meeting. It is not easy at this meeting, but she is good enough to run a big race and take her chance and we are looking forward to seeing a good result from her again.”

When asked about how it would feel to register a first Breeders’ Cup victory in 14 years, Bin Suroor added: “I have memories of my first Group One in 1995 in Santa Anita and the last Breeders’ Cup win for me was Santa Anita, so you know if she could win, it would be great for us.”

Mawj has also proven a special horse for big-race jockey Oisin Murphy, who has been aboard the daughter of Exceed And Excel the last twice.

She helped re-establish the 28-year-old as one of the leading names in the weighing room with Guineas glory at Newmarket and the Irishman believes the filly is running over the perfect trip to showcase her best.

“I was obviously delighted with her at Keeneland in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup over nine furlongs and I think dropping back to a mile will help her,” said Murphy.

“She seems to have trained very well (this week) from what we’ve seen on social media and whatever and we have been very lucky with the draw in six. I’m really looking forward to her.”

Mawj is only one half of a strong Godolphin hand in a race they have dominated in recent years and Charlie Appleby will saddle Master Of The Seas in search of a hat-trick in the contest.

Runner-up in the 2000 Guineas in 2021, he has become something of a globetrotter in recent years and was beaten only a nose in his last outing at Keeneland in the Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes.

He has been handed a stiff task from stall 14 but the Moulton Paddocks handler is taking comfort in the fact both Karakontie (2014) and Order Of Australia (2020) have tasted success from that position in recent years.

Appleby said: “Master Of The Seas has the outside draw but a draw is a draw. Two horses have won from there in the last 10 runnings.

“If he was a Modern Games it wouldn’t concern me, but he’s not quite that good.

“He has a habit of getting beat in Group Ones like in the Guineas but I felt that given time he would repay us.”

Japan have a leading contender in the form of Toru Hayashi’s Songline who brings top-level credentials to the table having won both the Victoria Mile and Yasuda Kinen in the summer, while Kelina lowered the colours of Kinross in the Prix de la Foret on Arc day and could bring back memories of Santa Anita Breeders’ Cups of the past.

Trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias the daughter of Frankel sports the famous colours of the Wertheimer brothers whose Goldikova won three straight Breeders’ Cup Miles between 2008 and 2010.

The first two of those triumphs came here and connections are hoping for another day to remember in California.

“Kelina’s final sessions (on the track) are going well and all is good,” said Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for the owners

“We of course would have preferred a better draw than 11. But the good thing is I really think she has enough speed to go with that, so we will see what happens.

“The good thing is she is an easy filly, so whatever tactics Carlos and Maxime (Guyon, jockey) decide, she will be able to go with it. There are some good horses drawn either side of her like Songline and the Godolphin horse Master Of The Seas so it will be interesting to watch.

“The Breeders’ Cup all together, but especially the Mile because of Goldikova, has been something special for us, so it will be very nice if Kelina can confirm our high opinion of her and play at that high level like she did in the Foret.”

Mawj will attempt to become the first filly since Uni in 2019 to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Mawj made a triumphant return to action at Keeneland on Saturday, her first outing since seeing off subsequent three-time Group One winner Tahiyra.

The Godolphin trainer faced a quandary over whether her to keep her against her own sex in the Filly & Mare Turf over a 10-furlong trip she has never tackled before, or take on the boys over a mile, with the latter the preferred option.

“She’s a tough filly with a big heart, to do that on her first run for five months and win a Grade One,” said Bin Suroor.

“She had been doing well before the race and Oisin (Murphy) had been in to ride her and we knew she was well – she’s come back well from the race too.

“She will head to Santa Anita now for the Breeders’ Cup Mile. If she stayed against the fillies it would be a mile and a quarter and a mile is the best trip for her, she’s proved that.

“Because she’s a tough filly she stayed nine furlongs at the weekend but the Mile is for her, she’s a top-class filly. She’s not very big so the two turns over a mile will suit her.

“When she beat Tahiyra in the Guineas, they were a long way clear of the others – they are the best by a long way.

“In the past good fillies have gone and beaten the colts, look at Goldikova (winner of the Mile in 2008, 2009 and 2010).”

Saeed bin Suroor secured his 500th Group-race winner as his 1000 Guineas heroine Mawj returned to action with a victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.

Not sighted since beating Tahiyra at Newmarket, the diminutive filly showed she is still a force to be reckoned with and a Breeders’ Cup bid now beckons.

Making all the running under Oisin Murphy in the nine-furlong contest, she could either take on the boys in the Mile or step up to 10 furlongs for the Filly & Mare Turf.

Bin Suroor said: “Thank God. This is great (for me) to win 500 (Grade and) Group (races) and a Group One with the filly Mawj, a classic winner. To come to America, to Keeneland, to win is a great result for everybody.

“It looks to me she has plenty of speed as a miler and she made it today nine furlongs. But we’ll see. The mile might be the best for her, sure, but I want to decide closer to the race.”

Murphy said: “Saeed was delighted with her work at home and he asked me to sit on her last week just before she flew (to America) and she felt brilliant. She felt back to her best.

“We did quite quick sections in the first half of the race, but she is a superstar filly. She found plenty. She’s got a great heart and mind.

“I’m delighted to win for Godolphin and Saeed here; it’s his 500th Group winner, so for me to ride it for him means the world.”

A trip to the Breeders’ Cup will come under consideration for 1000 Guineas heroine Mawj, but only if she recovers sufficiently from the issue that ruled her out of Royal Ascot.

Saeed bin Suroor’s charge scooped big-race honours when edging out Tahiyra at Newmarket in May and with Dermot Weld’s filly subsequently claiming the Irish equivalent on her next start the duo were poised for a clash of the Classic winners in the Coronation Stakes at the Royal meeting.

However, an unsatisfactory scope meant Mawj was missing from the final line-up for that contest, with Bin Suroor later revealing she had a bad infection in her chest.

The three-year-old is currently undergoing a quiet time as she continues her recovery, but could make a return later in the campaign ahead of a possible trip to Santa Anita in early November – providing she is showing positive signs she has returned to full health.

Bin Suroor said: “She’s still in treatment for coughing. She was coughing just before Ascot when she was ready to run.

“She had mucus and we scrubbed her and she didn’t look great so now we are giving her a break because we have scrubbed her a few times. We will allow her to get better slowly and we have no plan for her.

“Maybe the plan if she is doing well and is happy will be to have one more race here and then take her to the Breeders’ Cup. Maybe she will have one more race here, but only if she is ready.”

Bin Suroor was speaking after White Moonlight gave the Godolphin handler back-to-back victories in the Champagne Collet Queen Charlotte Fillies’ Stakes at Chelmsford.

The six-year-old was the beneficiary of a fine front-running ride from jockey Kieran Shoemark in the Listed seven-furlong event and will now step up to Group Three level at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, for the Whispering Angel Oak Tree Stakes on August 2.

“She’s done well and has been in good form,” said the trainer of the 9-2 winner.

“Seven furlongs suits her as we’ve tried before and I said to the jockey you have to be there in front, you have to lead. She was in front all the way and she won it well. Kieran is a good jockey and he did really well.

“In the morning when she works she’s very honest and always works well. She’s a tough filly and now we go to the Oak Tree at Goodwood early next month.”

Classic-winning filly Mawj will remain sidelined for the time being after missing her intended clash with Tahiyra in the Coronation Stakes due to a dirty scope.

The Saeed bin Suroor-trained three-year-old defeated Tahirya in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, before Dermot Weld’s star took the Irish equivalent at the Curragh.

Tahiyra landed Friday’s Coronation Stakes with a comfortable length to spare over Remarquee at Royal Ascot, with Bin Suroor an interested bystander.

He said: “It was a good performance from the winner. She did it impressively.

“It was a shame Mawj could not run, but we are not going to force her to run when she is not well.

“She will take a break now and have some time to recover.

“She has a bad infection in her chest and once she is ready, we will start her work again. Once she starts her work, then we will have a look at the options.”

Mawj wintered in Dubai and the daughter of Exceed And Excel won both the seven-furlong Jumeirah Fillies Classic and mile Fillies Guineas before taking the Newmarket Classic by half a length on her return to Britain, her fifth win in eight starts.

The popular Godolphin handler says she is likely to return to Dubai at the end of her Classic season, but added: “We will have a race for her before she leaves for Dubai. Once she starts work, then we will find a race for her. It could be in the UK or abroad.”

Though Bin Suroor saddled Live Your Dream to finish third in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, he was not too disappointed after missing the target at this year’s Royal meeting.

He said: “Ascot was good. It is the best meeting in the world. The horses that run there over the five days, they are the best.

“There are millions and millions of people worldwide watching these races. It is royal racing – it is great. There is no other meeting like it in the world.”

Bin Suroor hopes that he will make his mark at Newmarket’s July meeting and added: “We have some for that meeting, but I hope the ground won’t be too firm.”

Mawj will head to the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot for a rematch with Tahiyra, who gained compensation for her narrow defeat in the Qipco 1000 Guineas with victory in Sunday’s Irish equivalent.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor gained a third success in the fillies’ mile Classic at Newmarket last month when Mawj showed plenty of guts to down Dermot Weld’s Tahiyra by half a length.

The Godolphin handler has always believed the daughter of Exceed And Excel would develop as a three-year-old and she duly delivered, adding to his previous success in the race with Cape Verdi (1998) and Kazzia (2002).

“She is in good form,” said Bin Suroor. “Her win means a lot. It was the third time we won the 1000 Guineas, but it had been a long time since the last one – 21 years.

“Obviously, the Classic races and the Group One races, you have to have the good horses.

“We knew last year she was a good filly, but she is a tiny filly and you have to look after her.

“I gave her a break between races, just to allow her to recover.”

Mawj is now being prepared to take on Tahiyra, who had won the Moyglare Stud Stakes last season and gained her second top-class success with victory over Meditate in the Irish Classic.

Though she won on soft ground at Newmarket, Bin Suroor insists Mawj will not be concerned what ground conditions await her at the Berkshire track.

The daughter of Exceed And Excel, who bypassed the Curragh Classic, has had plenty of experience on differing surfaces.

In her eight starts, on which she has won five, she was victorious over six furlongs on fast ground at Newmarket, on soft ground over a mile when taking her Group One.

“She goes to the Coronation Stakes now,” he added. “I don’t think the ground matters to her, because she won on softer ground in Dubai also and she came back here on soft ground.

“I think she will handle any ground and we look forward to going to Ascot with her.”