Soulcombe has returned to training, with a light autumn campaign planned for next year as he builds towards another tilt at the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) in the spring.
The Chris Waller-trained son of Frankel has been off the track since his runner-up finish in the 2023 Flemington showpiece, with connections allowing ample time for rehabilitation following an off-fore injury.
“We’ve purposefully taken our time with him,” managing owner Ozzie Kheir told Racing.com.
“I reckon we’ve given him three or four months longer rehab than we typically would or that we needed to just to give him the best chance of a full recovery.
“Our view is he’s a Melbourne Cup horse, and we didn’t want to rush him into this year’s race, so we’ve taken it slowly, and fingers crossed he can get back to the races and to the big one next spring.”
It is expected that the 2023 Melbourne Cup runner-up will be seen briefly during the upcoming autumn carnival.
“We hope to give him a couple of runs in the autumn,” Kheir said.
“We’ll lower our expectations on what he will do, but we know his ability and his talent, so we’ll be patient.
“As long as he’s sound, that’s the main thing because we know he’s got the talent.”
Soulcombe is currently listed as a $26 hope for the 2025 Melbourne Cup with horse racing bookmakers.
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