John Gosden appears to favour pulling Jack Hobbs out of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in favour of racing him at the Champion Stakes.
The 64-year-old trainer is pondering his options for the upcoming big races at Longchamp and Ascot respectively and, while he has not completely ruled Jack Hobbs out of the French trip this coming weekend, it seems he will be left for the Champion Stakes on October 17.
Gosden is sending Golden Horn to Paris and does not see the point in taking Jack Hobbs along for the ride given that he has already trailed his stablemate in both the Dante at York and the Investec Derby at Epsom.
Gosden, who will keep tabs on the weather and ground conditions before making a firm decision, said: “If the ground did turn soft, he comes back into play (for the Arc). We are very much watching the weather.
“It is autumn and we’ve been having a huge amount of rain in August and September, so anything’s possible.
“But he is a horse who can run in it (Arc) next year, there’s no doubt about that, and I think it would be stupid to run them both.
“Golden Horn has proven himself superior and I don’t see the point in going there to find out that again when the Champion Stakes is 13 days later.
“The owner and manager are very clear that the Arc and the Champion are equal and they’re just as happy to go to the Champion.”
