O’Brien open to Saudi Arabia option for Jan Brueghel

Aidan O’Brien could look to Saudi Arabia for St Leger winner Jan Brueghel after deciding to bypass a possible Hong Kong run.

The unbeaten colt travelled to Australia and looked to hold strong claims of giving his trainer a first victory in the Melbourne Cup.

However, he was ruled out of the Flemington contest after failing to satisfy the Racing Victoria vets in a pre-race examination.

O’Brien initially suggested the Hong Kong Vase as a possible target but as Jan Brueghel was unable to maintain his fitness while in Australia, his aim will now be reassessed.

In a post on Coolmore’s X feed, the trainer said: “He had a long journey back from Australia and was restricted to only trotting while over there.

“Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to prepare him properly for Hong Kong so we will revisit his plans. We may aim for a race in Saudi early next year.”