Pat Eddery will get on the back of King Of Kings for the first time this morning when he takes his intended Epsom Derby mount through his paces in a piece of work.
Eddery flew directly from riding at Folkestone last night to Ballydoyle, where he will once again take a possible Derby winner around the famous gallops.
The former stable jockey to Vincent O'Brien had one of his three Derby winners, Golden Fleece in 1982, trained at the County Tipperary stables. Eddery also won the Derby on Grundy in 1975 and on Quest For Fame in 1990, as well as being placed on eight occasions. He has been runner-up four times, including on the Ballydoyle-trained El Gran Senor (1984) and Law Society (1985) as well as in the last two years on Dushyantor and Silver Patriarch.
Eddery has been third four times - on Pentland Firth (1972), Freefoot (1973), Oats (1976) and Bellotto (1987).
Michael Kinane, who rides Second Empire in the Derby, will be in action at the Curragh tomorrow evening. He rides Shahtoush in that afternoon's Epsom Oaks and will then dash to ride either Two-Twenty-Two or Hibernian Rhapsody in the Gallinule Stakes for Dermot Weld.
Weld, who won the Gallinule with Brief Truce in 1992, said yesterday: "It will be either TwoTwenty-Two or Hibernian Rhapsody but I want to discuss it with Mick and with Stan Cosgrove, manager of Moyglare, who own both horses. Both are really well and whichever we decide on will run a very big race."
The 17-year-old Jamie Spencer, scheduled to ride Tarascon in the Oaks, has much less experience of Epsom but will have the benefit of the advice of the most experienced of all when he walks the track this morning.
Lester Piggott, nine times a Derby winner, has agreed to be his guide. In the past, Piggott's advice has been credited by both Ray Cochrane and Alan Munro as being vital in them winning Derbys on Kahyasi and Generous.
The sole overseas acceptor for Sunday's Prix de Diane Hermes at Chantilly is Shahtoush, whom Aidan O'Brien is set to run at Epsom tomorrow instead. Godolphin yesterday withdrew Bahr, Cape Verdi and La Nuit Rose.
The Aga Khan has French 1,000 Guineas winner Zalaiyka and Prix Saint-Alary scorer Zainta in the race, along with potential pacemaker Mannsara, while Criquette Head could run Saint-Alary second Loving Claim.
