John Gosden has confirmed that Ombudsman will have one final run before retiring to stud – in the Japan Cup on 29th November.
Sir Michael Stoute won the Tokyo showpiece with Singspiel and Pilsudski in successive years in the mid 1990s but the brilliant Godolphin-owned colt will be the first British runner in 21 years.
However, Calandagan won the race last season and failed to land a telling blow on his British-trained rival when they clashed in the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes at Ascot last month. Now there’s another battle in the offing between the two.
That victory was a sixth in a Group One for Ombudsman and connections initially considered heading to the Breeders’ Cup off the back of it.
However that plan was shelved and while it was announced last week that he’s to stand at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, it now transpires his racing career isn’t over yet.
“Ombudsman is very well in himself, still has his summer coat and the plan is to take him to the Japan Cup for which he has to ship on November 18. At the moment one of either Devil’s Advocate or Fifth Column will be going with him,” the joint-trainer told the Racing Post.
“We didn’t want to put him on a plane just seven days after Ascot which is why he missed the Breeders’ Cup. We started him early in the year to go to Dubai but we’ve spaced his races throughout the year and I think he has benefited from it. This will be his last run and he’s off to stud after this trip.”
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