Novellist riding plans uncertain

Monday 29 July 2013, 5:54pm

German trainer Andreas Wohler is in no rush to decide who will partner Novellist in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe following his breathtaking performance at Ascot on Saturday.

The four-year-old leapt to the forefront of the betting for the Longchamp showpiece on October 6 with a five-length romp in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, smashing the track record in the process.

Johnny Murtagh partnered the colt for the first time at Ascot, but is unlikely to be on board on his next start, with the Grosser Preis von Baden his most likely prep race for the Arc.

Under German rules of racing, Murtagh would not be able to ride the horse at Baden-Baden in early September because he also holds a training licence.

"It just depends on how he gets on in the next 14 days. We will give him an easier time now and we will probably go for Baden-Baden instead of going to France for a prep race," Wohler said.

"We haven't discussed who will ride the horse next time. Because Johnny is a trainer as well as a jockey we wouldn't be allowed to put him on the horse there. Those are the rules in Germany.

"We don't want to mess around much. We will have to see. The owner went on holiday after Ascot and when he comes back we will discuss it.

"The horse came back early this morning. He was a little bit tired but otherwise he is fine.

"It was an unbelievable performance. We always had confidence in him that he was a very good horse, but the way he did it yesterday was unbelievable."

Ryan Moore rode Novellist to victory on his previous start in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, while William Buick has also ridden him in the past.

– PAA

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