Options open for Godolphin pair

Sakhee and Fantastic Light have both arrived safely in New York ahead of their participation in the 18th Breeders` Cup Championship meeting on Saturday week.

However, connections of the top-class pair said today that they were no nearer to finalising which race either would take part in.

Both horses have been given entries in the Classic over a mile and a quarter on the dirt, as well as the Turf contest, which is run over a mile and a half.

With Fantastic Light having been earmarked for the former contest since his defeat of Galileo in the Irish Champion Stakes, it had been widely-thought that Prix de l`Arc de Triomphe winner Sakhee would take his place in the Turf line-up.

But Simon Crisford, racing manager of Godolphin, the owners of both horses, said that a final decision would be left as late as possible.

'They will work either on Friday and Saturday and we will decide after that,' he explained. 'They have both been given `first preference` entries in the Classic asthose were the instructions I was given from Dubai.'

The home challenge for the Classic does not look the strongest this year with Bob Baffert`s Point Given now retired and Crisford added: 'They could both run in the Classic, or both in the Turf or one in each race.

'Anything is possible - although it is unlikely that we will run both in one race I can`t close the door on that.

'I have to go with the feedback I get and that feedback is very much `let`s wait and see how Sakhee handles the dirt when we work him on it, how he is physically and mentally`.

'We can make up our minds as late as Wednesday and we will probably leave it until then.'

Sakhee is reported to have come out of his French exertions in flying form.

'He seems to have come out of it very well and you have to remember that he has had only three runs this season,' Crisford went on. 'He is a very fresh horse, who has only been on the go since the middle of the season.

'When you run in the Arc and win like that it must have taken something from him but he lost the usual amount if weight and he seems fine.

'Fantastic Light has had two winters working on the sand, although he has never run on it. He`s in great form and we`ve tried to spread his races out as much as possible.'

Godolphin will also be represented in the two juvenile contests and with Noverre and Express Tour in the Breeders` Cup Mile.

'We are going to America with a stronger team than ever but we`ve had great horses beaten there before like Mark of Esteem, Swain and Halling.

'Even if they work on the surface and go well on it, it`s not the same as racing on it, it`s completely different.'

Godolphin`s squad is being matched by an equally-sizeable raiding party from Ireland`s champion trainer Aidan O`Brien.

The contingent will be headed by Vodafone Derby winner Galileo, who flies out early next week.

Galileo has been off the track since suffering his first defeat, when going down to Fantastic Light at Leopardstown in the Irish Champion Stakes.

But O`Brien is hopeful that the colt`s reputation can be restored in the Breeders` Cup Classic, setting up the likelihood of an intriguing rematch with his Godolphin-owned arch-rival.

'He`s a horse that you don`t do much with anyway so the break hasn`t been a problem for him,' the Ballydoyle maestro reported. 'He`s a well-balanced horse and we have never thought that an artificial surface would be a problem for him.

'Being honest about Leopardstown, we had planned on our pacemaker Ice Dancer going a good clip all the way and I think we were a bit surprised when Give The Slip took the lead.

'With Galileo, his stride is so long and it takes him time to find his rhythm.

'The pace probably didn`t start until the last six furlongs so he was only just getting into full flow at the finish.

'It wasn`t the tactics coming off the bend, he just wasn`t able to get up to top speed, he was lobbing along early on when I would have rather seenhim getting going.

'A really strongly-run race in America would really suit him.

'He`s a very competitive horse, he doesn`t like to be beaten, but I am happy with him.'

Galileo will be joined in the Classic by stablemate Black Minnaloushe.

'From a long way back we thought he would be an ideal horse for the Classic if we could ride him patiently,' O`Brien continued.

'Tactically we didn`t get the best out of him at York last time and being realistic this is a very tall order, but he is in good form at home.'

O`Brien`s squad also includes Milan in the Turf, Sophisticat in the Juvenile Fillies and speed merchant Mozart in the Sprint.

A total of 20 European horses are set to line up in the eight races which make up a meeting that offers over 14,000,000 in prize money.

Year after year, the raiding party heads across the Atlantic with high hopes and returns with glum faces.

But there is a real feeling that this year could be different (although the pessimists can still take William Hill`s 4-1 offer of no European-trained winners at this year`s meeting).

Howard Battle, the chairman of the international panel of handicappers, summed up: 'Every year we get Geoffrey (Gibbs, his European counterpart) coming over and saying how you lot are going to win everything but it doesn`t happen.

'However this year I think it`ll be a miracle if we can beat your best horses.

'Maybe we`ve got a shot going short of a mile but I think the European horses are going to be very, very tough to beat.'