Al Thani talks tactics Sheikh Fahad Al Thani has insisted he will not pay over-the-odds for horses as he seeks to strengthen his racing empire. The young royal, who is involved in sponsoring this Saturday's Qipco British Champions Day, was busy at last week's Tattersalls sales in Newmarket but admitted he had to restrain himself. "Within our operation, in Qatar Racing and Qatar Bloodstock, value is very important," he said in an interview to be broadcast on BBC Radio 5Live on Wednesday evening. "As we are going to be in it for the long-term - it's very easy for us to be buying a horse to win the Derby, for instance. I could easily pay £20million and win the Derby but that's definitely not our strategy." Sheikh Fahad lost out to John Magnier in what was a European record 3.6m guineas for a Galileo brother to Oaks runner-up Secret Gesture at Tattersalls. He said: "If you get too attached to a horse it gets very difficult. "For instance, the Galileo colt that went into the ring, we were underbidders at 3.5m. "We valued him at 2.5 to 3, so we did get a little carried away, which we shouldn't have done. But you learn from your mistakes." Sheikh Fahad's cousin, Sheikh Joaan Al Thani, is rumoured to have paid considerably more for Treve, who famously won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and broke the world record for a yearling filly at the same sale when forking out 5m guineas for a daughter of Galileo. "Our prerogative is different to my cousin," he said. "I'm sure I would never pay a lot of money for an unproven horse - it has to be worth it. We'll buy at value. "It's up to him if he wants to, I'm sure he has different ideas for what he's doing." Referring to the Arc, he said: "Well done to him, he set out to win that race, but what he paid for the horse, I think in our operation we would not have done that, to be buying a filly for that much." He went on: "I fancy an English Derby before an Arc. We really feel that the best races are in Britain. The Arc is a secondary thing."
