Don't rule out Sakhee for US Cup

Sakhee could make a surprise American detour for the Breeders' Cup Turf later this month, bypassing Newmarket's Dubai Champion Stakes.

The unscheduled stop emerged as a potential target after the Godolphin colt streaked away with yesterday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Longchamp's Group One event was itself a deviation from breeder Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's sole original aim of Saturday week's ten-furlong Group One.

Sakhee formerly carried his silks, including when second to Sinndar in last year's Derby, before leaving trainer John Dunlop to join Godolphin this season.

After the four-year-old justified connections' confidence by turning the Arc into a procession - unextended in beating progressive French-trained filly Aquarelliste by six lengths - Sheikh Hamdan said he still hoped Sakhee would recover from his exertions in time to reappear at Newmarket on 20 October.

But the two races are only 13 days apart and, despite its palpable ease, this victory came in strength-sapping heavy ground. Combined with the lure of a markedly weak turf middledistance division in the US, voyaging instead to New York for the valuable Breeders' Cup event on 27 October may be too tempting to ignore.

"Nothing is ever ruled out, but it will be up to Sheikh Hamdan to decide what he wants to do. He has outlined the Dubai Champion Stakes as his preferred choice at this stage. We will all talk about it and he will make a decision later this week," said Godolphin's racing manager, Simon Crisford.

Sakhee's victory was Godolphin's 77th Group One success in only their eighth season, but the first Arc in their silks. Trainer Saeed bin Suroor saddled Lammtarra to take the Parisian crown in 1995, but that unbeaten colt carried Saeed Maktoum Al Maktoum's colours.