Tonic to recuperate before next trip

Jim and Tonic, one of Europe's major hopes for the Breeders' Cup at Belmont Park on 27 October and a 10-1 chance for the Mile with Coral yesterday morning, will miss the race and be prepared instead for end-of-season targets in the Far East, it was announced yesterday.

Jim and Tonic, one of Europe's major hopes for the Breeders' Cup at Belmont Park on 27 October and a 10-1 chance for the Mile with Coral yesterday morning, will miss the race and be prepared instead for end-of-season targets in the Far East, it was announced yesterday.

François Doumen's seven-year-old, who seems to spend more time competing at such courses as Sha Tin and Kranji than he does in his native France, had a hard race when finishing second to China Visit on very soft ground at Longchamp on Saturday. As a result, his connections feel that the Breeders' Cup will come too soon, and a return to Sha Tin for the Hong Kong Cup in December, in which he was a close third to Fantastic Light and Greek Dance last year, is now an obvious alternative.

Coral make Noverre their 7-1 favourite for the Mile, followed by Irish Prize, Banks Hill and Forbidden Apple on 8-1, and it is 10-1 bar.