Japan Cup: St Leger hero Continuous on course for Japan Cup clash with Equinox next month

St Leger hero Continuous is on course to face Equinox in the Japan Cup next month.

Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old continued his classic success at Doncaster by finishing fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Plans for a possible trip to Ascot for British Champions Day had to be put on hold due to a minor setback, but the son of Heart’s Cry has now made a full recovery.

O’Brien has never managed to win the Japan Cup, but stable jockey Ryan Moore knows what it takes to triumph in Tokyo, having partnered last year’s winner Vela Azul for Kunihiko Watanabe.

“We were going to take him back for the Champion Stakes, but he came down with a bit of a fever, so if they get a fever, obviously you have to give them medication, and if you give them medication they will be taken out of the race,” O’ said. Brien RacingTV.

“But he’s doing well, he’s galloping again, so the plan with him is to go to the Japan Cup (November 26).

“We were delighted with his run in the Arc. Ryan took his time, as he always does with him, and the pace was a bit slow halfway through the race and that’s how it was, but he came home very well.

“Ryan was really happy with him after the run, he said his run was a lot better than everyone thinks, so hopefully we’ll go back to the Japan Cup with him.

“It’s a race we’ve never won and it takes a good horse to win it, so it would be great if we could be competitive in that.

“It suits him well because he is a good traveler, he can handle fast and soft ground, it doesn’t matter.”