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"Sheik Mohammed has spent several fortunes trying to win glory in the English Derby and has never done it," says Lord White of Hull, the chairman of Hanson Industries, whose Ever Ready subsidiary sponsors Epsom. "Paulson, on the other hand, has a very pragmatic attitude toward the financial rewards represented by the Triple Crown. You've got two very strong-willed men; the question of where Arazi runs may, in the end, come down to money."
Sheik Mohammed purchased his 50% share in Arazi from Paulson six months ago. Sheik Mohammed had tried several times before to buy the horse through intermediaries, but Paulson refused. Finally, during last year's $1.5 million Arc de Triomphe at Paris's Longchamps racecourse, the Arab prince pressed Paulson face to face, asking him to name his price. Trying to come up with a figure that would be too high to be taken seriously, Paulson proposed $9 million for half the horse; to his surprise, Sheik Mohammed immediately closed the deal on a handshake.
The two owners agreed that in races in the U.S., jockey Pat Valenzuela would ride Arazi wearing Paulson's red-white-and-blue silks, while in Europe the British-based Cauthen would be in Sheik Mohammed's maroon and white. What the pair did not resolve was which contests Arazi would enter; instead, they determined that if they could not agree, trainer Boutin would make the choice in the horse's best interest.
There is no guarantee that Arazi will continue his winning ways. As Sheik Mohammed points out, "He could get a headache or a cold and lose, as other great horses have." Yet extending his string of victories would not only bring glory but give a lift to the depressed international racing industry. Track attendance -- and prices at horse auctions -- have been hit hard in both the U.S. and Europe. If Arazi can take the two Derbies or the Triple Crown, his triumph will reflect on all of racing, a sport that requires superstars at least as much as the movie business. So far, Arazi is shining as brightly as any horse in racing's firmament.