Aidan O’Brien has suggested that Japan is finished for the rest of the season as he looks ahead to Saturday’s Qipco Champion Stakes. The dual Group One winner, who secured fourth spot in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on October 6, was due to feature at Ascot this coming weekend.
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However, while looking ahead to the British Champions Day meeting, O’Brien claimed the three-year-old is potentially out until next season. He said: “We’ll be making a decision regarding plans for Japan in the next couple of days, but it’s quite possible he won’t run again this year.”
Discussing some of his other options at Ascot, O’Brien added: “We still have to finalise plans for Ascot and nothing is set in stone, but it looks as if Magical and I Can Fly might run in the Champion Stakes. “Magna Grecia is going for the QEII, while Circus Maximus will probably be kept for the Breeders’ Cup Mile.”
