By Jon Lees
Australia: Three-time race winner Kerrin McEvoy will ride Tiger Moth, lead fancy for Aidan O’Brien in the Lexus Melbourne Cup, and Hugh Bowman has been booked for Anthony Van Dyck as the riders were announced for the Ballydoyle team.
With no overseas jockeys riding at the Spring Carnival this year because of Covid restrictions, O’Brien has moved to secure the best local riders available, helped by last week’s announcement that jockeys from Sydney, like McEvoy and Bowman, were clear to travel into Victoria.
McEvoy, victorious on Brew in 2000 and twice in the last four years on Almandin (2016) and Cross Counter (2018), has been chosen for Tiger Moth, who entered the Melbourne Cup reckoning with an impressive G3 win on Irish Champions Weekend. Last week he reached 2,000 career winners.
Bowman will take the reins on 2019 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck in the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup on October 17 and then the Melbourne Cup on November 3, in which the colt will carry top weight.
Johny Allen will ride O’Brien’s third Melbourne Cup candidate, the Irish Derby winner Santiago, who finished fourth in the St Leger on his latest start.
Irishman Allen is well known to the trainer having begun his career as a jump jockey with his father-in-law Joe Crowley. Allen rode Downdraft for Joseph O’Brien in last year’s Cup.
In other bookings Ben Melham will partner Armory in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate, in which Mark Zahra will be on Magic Wand.
Cox Plate betting (Ladbrokes): 5/2 Russian Camelot, 8 Armory, 10 Sir Dragonet, 12 Aspetar, Magic Wand, Verry Elleegant, 14 Fierce Impact, 16 Arcadia Queen, Buckhurst, Surprise Baby, 20 bar
Caulfield Cup (Ladbrokes): 10 Master Of Wine, Orderofthegarter, Port Guillaume, 12 Anthony Van Dyck, Russian Camelot, Verry Elleegant, 14 Sir Dragonet, 16 Finche, Le Don De Vie, Santiago, Shared Ambition, 20 bar
Melbourne Cup (Ladbrokes): 6 Russian Camelot, 8 Surprise Baby, 10 Tiger Moth, 12 Santiago, 16 Master Of Wine, Shared Ambition, Verry Elleegant, 20 Anthony Van Dyck, Ashrun, Dashing Willoughby, Finche, King Of Leogrance, Sir Dragonet, 25 bar
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