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Godolphin star has American and Royal Ascot options

Saeed bin Suroor is favouring a tilt at next month’s Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park over at trip to Royal Ascot for his dual Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow .

The five-year-old is entered in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, but Bin Suroor is also looking at the Grade One prize over a mile on June 8 in America.

Despite being campaigned over a mile and a quarter for six of his last seven starts, Bin Suroor feels the drop back in trip will not inconvenience his globe-trotting star.

Bin Suroor said: “Thunder Snow is doing good and worked nicely on Thursday.

“I don’t think I will be going to Ascot – America is more likely. He needs to do another two pieces of work before we make a decision. There is a Grade One at Belmont Park over a mile for him on June 8.

“I’ve talked to Christophe (Soumillon) and Kieren Fallon, who rides him every morning, and we think maybe a mile is better to start him back over.

“The Breeders’ Cup is on the agenda and maybe we might take him to the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.”

Dream Castle could take in an outing in the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp, having disappointed on his most recent outing in the Dubai Turf.

Bin Suroor said: “He is doing well and we are looking for a Group One for him. We will run him at Ascot, but we will run him in a race before. We could take him to France.

“He had a foot problem in Dubai, that is what I found after the race. He didn’t change his lead in the race, but he is fine now.”

Bin Suroor intends to give Best Solution and Benbatl further time off, with autumn campaigns in mind.

He said: “Benbatl could run back in August time ready for the second half of the season.

“We will be looking at races in the second half of the season for him and Best Solution.

“They had hard races last year as they had run from Dubai through to Australia.”