A Classic Move by the Sheiks

There were no fistfights, snide remarks or casting of aspersions, but the post-position draw for the 18th Breeders’ Cup was worth a visit, anyway.

Those unpredictable sheiks from Dubai, who even in absentia know how to enliven a traditionally dull exercise, named Fantastic Light to run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and sent Sakhee into the Classic, the opposite of what most curbside racing analysts guessed.

These entry-time decisions, which had made-in-Dubai labels stamped all over them, were delivered to Breeders’ Cup officials Wednesday at Belmont Park, where 98 horses were made eligible for eight races worth more than $13 million Saturday.

Brotherly love may have had something to do with the assignments for Fantastic Light and Sakhee, although at least one spokesman for the sheiks discounted that reason. Sakhee is owned by Sheik Hamden, who also owns Mutamam, so it would make sense that those two run in different races.

Sheik Mohammed, Hamden’s younger brother, calls the shots for Godolphin Racing’s Fantastic Light, who’ll try to beat Mutamam, Hamden’s lesser horse, in the Turf.

The Classic is worth $4 million and the Turf is a $2-million race, but as you probably can imagine, money is not what fuels Hamden and Mohammed. Maybe in oil, but not in racing. Mohammed likes racing so much that he runs most of his horses in England, where the purses are sub-par. Don’t remind him.

Several years ago, during a speech there, he said: “I am not down to my last camel, but it would be nice if the purses were higher here.”

Officials listened, but no one did much. Sheik Mohammed has made the sacrifice.

A victory by Sakhee in the Classic would be a double-barreled, historical accomplishment. Three weeks ago, the 4-year-old colt won the Arc de Triomphe on grass, and never has an Arc winner also won a Breeders’ Cup race. Five have tried, and the best finish in the U.S. was in 1987, when Trempolino, who raced for Bruce McNall, ran second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf six weeks after his Arc victory.

How wrong can Sheik Mohammed be? The minute the call from Dubai announced that Fantastic Light was Turf-bound, Donald LaPlace, the Belmont linemaker, installed the 5-year-old as the 8-5 favorite in the 11/2-mile grass race. A world traveler who has won major races in England, Ireland, Hong Kong, Dubai and the U.S., Fantastic Light was fifth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs, but has had four victories, two seconds and a third in seven races since.

“He’s a fighter,” jockey Frankie Dettori said. “He’s been around the world five times and has more air miles than I do.”

With Fantastic Light out of the Classic, that frees Dettori, Godolphin’s principal stable rider, to also ride Sakhee in the $4-million race.

“I was surprised they’re running the horses where they are,” Dettori said. “They’re both good horses and I’m glad they won’t kill each other off. It will give us two shots in two big races. It’s hard enough to win a Breeders’ Cup race, and racing them against each other would have limited our chances.”

Sakhee, undefeated in three races this year after a chipped ankle waylaid his career, won the Arc over a water-logged course at Longchamp.

“Handling deep going like that should tell you that he’ll also be able to run over dirt,” said Tom Albertrani, an assistant trainer who has cared for the Godolphin horses since they arrived here.

Light showers are in the forecast the next two days, but that shouldn’t prevent the turf course from being firm and the main track from being fast, Belmont Park officials said. Cool, dry weather is expected Saturday, with temperatures in the low 50s. For the European horses, the climate should feel like home.

Aptitude, winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont in his last start, is the 2-1 favorite in the Classic. A week ago, his trainer, Bobby Frankel, said that he feared Fantastic Light the most. Now Aptitude doesn’t even have to worry about Fantastic Light--but one of Frankel’s other horses, Timboroa, will have Fantastic Light to beat in the Turf.

Of the favorites for the eight races, the shortest-priced is Officer, the undefeated colt who is 4-5 on the morning line for the Juvenile. Along with Fantastic Light and Aptitude, the other early favorites are Flute at 5-2 in the Distaff; You, who is 8-5 in the Juvenile Fillies; Noverre, 3-1 in the Mile; Kona Gold, 7-2 in the Sprint; and Lailani, 3-1 in the Filly & Mare Turf.

Bob Baffert, who trains Officer for Ahmed Salman, a Saudi Arabian prince, wasn’t happy about Officer drawing the No. 2 post in a 12-horse field. But Richard Mulhall, who manages Thoroughbred Corp. for the prince, didn’t think the inside would compromise Officer’s chances.

“I don’t think our post should make any difference,” Mulhall said. “It will be up to [jockey Victor Espinoza] to be up close early or try to come from off the pace.”

Officer has been on the lead or off of it in his five victories.

“My 2-year-olds [besides Officer, Habibti drew No. 1 in the Juvenile Fillies] both had bad draws,” Baffert said. “We’ve got to use Officer [force him to the front] from down on the inside. This is awful. We wanted to be on the outside where we could cruise and see what was developing. Down on the inside, you can get in a match race with somebody.”

Three of the five favorites--Aptitude, You and Flute--are trained by Frankel, who’s winless with 36 Breeders’ Cup starters. Frankel also was unhappy with post positions for his six Breeders’ Cup starters.

“Terrible, just terrible,” he said. “They’ll just have to be a few lengths better than I thought they were. The worst one is Aptitude [post 12 in a field of 13]. I hate that mile-and-a-quarter chute where they start this race. But I’ve got a good rider [Jerry Bailey, who’s won the Classic four times] and at least my horse will be one of the last to load in the gate.”

It might be of comfort to Frankel that Unbridled and Cigar won Classics at Belmont with what seemed to be bad posts. Unbridled was on the far outside in a 14-horse field in 1990 and in 1995, Cigar broke inside only one horse in an 11-horse field. Historically, Frankel can tell himself, Aptitude’s in the garden spot.