Story by Carl Di Iorio for racing.com

Mugatoo has run for the final time this year with last month’s Cox Plate fourth set to enjoy a break ahead of the Sydney autumn carnival.

Mugatoo was a late scratching from last Saturday’s $2 million Group 1 Seppelt Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington after arriving on-course with a laceration to his offside hind leg, sustained en route to the track.

Australian Bloodstock co-director Jamie Lovett said the Henrythenavigator gelding had come through the incident fine, the laceration not requiring any stitches and largely superficial.

“He’ll freshen up at the farm now and we’ll just keep him ticking over with a view to getting him ready for the autumn carnival in Sydney where the Queen Elizabeth Stakes will be his main target,” Lovett said.

Trained by Kris Lees, Mugatoo has raced 16 times for eight wins and three minor placings with prizemoney of $958,392.

Mugatoo supplied Lees with his first success in September’s Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) before finishing runner-up in the $750,000 Group 1 Metropolitan Handicap (2400m) and fourth in the $5m Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m).

	Mugatoo (IRE) Trainer K.A.Lees
Age 6YO Sex Gelding Colour Bay Prize Money $958,392 Last 5 11124 Career 16-8-2-1

POS	Jockey	Track	Date	DIST	Race	WGT	MRG	Odds
4 – 14	J.Allen	M V	24 OCT 20	2040m	COX PLATE	59kg	3.5L	$26	%
2 – 18	K.McEvoy	RAND	3 OCT 20	2400m	THE METROP	57kg	0.2L	$3
1 – 15	K.McEvoy	NCLE	18 SEP 20	2300m	NCLE CUP	59kg	1.5L	$2.40
1 – 14	K.McEvoy	RHIL	29 AUG 20	1900m	PREMIERCUP	57kg	1.3L	$1.90
1 – 10	H.Bowman	RHIL	25 JUL 20	1500m	WINTERCHAL	57.5kg	0.8L	$4.60