Racing’s top-flight focus turns international next week with no one set to travel further than jockey Wayne Lordan.
Although no Irish trained runners will line up in Tuesday morning’s $4.4 Lexus Melbourne Cup, Lordan has a shot at settling a score with the race that famously stops a nation.
Lordan has been engaged to ride the ex-Joseph O’Brien trained outsider, Point Nepean.
Winner of one of his two starts for O’Brien last year, the son of Camelot is now trained by Robert Hickmott for seven-time Cup-winning owner Lloyd Williams.
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Point Nepean won a Listed race at Flemington in his first start for Hickmott in May but has been unplaced in his two starts since.
Lordan endured Melbourne Cup frustration in the past including when late interference spoiled Il Paradiso’s chance to win in 2019. That colt was promoted to third in the steward’s room.
Lordan was also in the steward’s room in 2009 after Flemington officials famously demanded Aidan O’Brien return to the track to explain the jockey’s ride on Alessandro Volta.
The stewards expressed “grave doubts” about the tactics employed on Alessandro Volta which led to a tense exchange with O’Brien although no action was taken.
“Wayne was unlucky not to win a few years ago and it’s great that he’s back riding in one of the world’s iconic races,” Lordan’s agent, Ryan McElliogott said on Friday. “He has had a few winners before in Australia in Stakes and Group races.”
One familiar figure for Lordan will be the 2020 Epsom Derby hero Serpentine who is still in contention to make the Cup line-up for Hickmott and Williams.
Serpentice, who Lordan rode to win his maiden before Epsom, become the first Derby in over a century to be gelded after being sold to the Australian team.
Overseas representation in Australia’s most famous race this time is down to two English trained horses although the James Ferguson trained Deauville Legend as well as Simon and Ed Crisford’s Without A Fight top ante-post betting lists. German hope Loft has been ruled out due to a setback.
Britain’s champion jockey, William Buick, is in Australia to ride Without A Fight and, like Lordan, will jet on to Kentucky for the Breeders Cup which starts in Keeneland next Friday.
European hopes for US racing’s shop-window event are due to land in Louisville on Saturday including a rather depleted Ballydoyle squad.
With Blackbeard already retired to stud, Aidan O’Brien ruled out other two-year-old stars on Friday.
“Never Ending Story is out and so are Cairo and Aesop’s Fables,” he confirmed.
It leaves O’Brien set to saddle seven runners at Keeneland. Victoria Road (Juvenile Turf) and Meditate (Juvenile Fillies Turf) will be joined by Order Of Australia who will try to repeat his shock 73-1 success in the Mile two years ago.
Both Oaks winner Tuesday and Toy are engaged in the Filly & Mare while Broome and Stone Age are in the Turf.
Joseph O’Brien, winner of the Filly & Mare in 2019 with Iridessa under Wayne Lordan, is lining up another shot at the race with Above The Curve.
There are 45 overseas pre-entries in all for the Breeders Cup which stages 14 races over Friday and Saturday. Despite two victories for Japan at Del Mar a year ago, there is just the single hope form that country this time, the five-year-old Chain Of Love.
Evidence of the changing of the seasons is stamped all over the busy Bank Holiday weekend’s domestic action in Galway and Wexford.
The first of three days in Ballybrit starts on Saturday while the clocks going back an hour prompts a 12.40 Sunday start there. Wexford also race on Sunday and no less than the Grand National winner Noble Yeats is due to line up in a chase there on Monday.
Common to both tracks will be testing ground conditions and the emergence of some high-class winter performers.
Both Thedevilscoachman, winner of last season’s Boyne Hurdle, and Sams Profile, winner of last year’s Galmoy Hurdle resume their careers over fences in a Beginners Chase at Galway on Sunday.
Thedevilscoachman put in a fine effort to be third to Ferny Hollow at the start of his chasing career but subsequently rewarded the decision to revert to hurdles in the Boyne. Testing ground will be no trouble to him.
Another Noel Meade trained horse, Affordale Fury, makes his hurdles debut later on Sunday’s card.
The point to point winner beat Allibaba in a bumper at the track earlier this month and appeared to relish the soft ground.
Allibaba can give that form a boost on Saturday when returning to Ballybrit for another bumper. Monalee’s half-brother Firm Footings could put it up to him but the Mullins runner’s proven credentials when the mud is flying makes him hard to oppose.
One of the most exciting prospects for the winter ahead is Facile Vega’s novice hurdle campaign.
The outstanding bumper champion has been acclaimed by Willie Mullins as the most exciting young horse he has had in years.
Sandor Clegane chased Facile Vega home at the Dublin Racing Festival and was seventh to him at Punchestown. Paul Nolan’s runner has had a good break since and makes his own hurdling debut on Saturday.
Separately on Saturday, Dermot Weld runs Keep In Touch in the Listed Montrose Stakes over a mile at Newmarket. Chris Hayes teams up with the filly who ran third to Basil Martini in the Park Stakes at the Curragh on her previous start.
