O’Brien Turns To Soumillon In The Absence Of Moore For Big-Race Rides

[Wandering Eyes]

Aidan O'Brien outlined plans for some of his stable stars at a Ballydoyle open morning on Monday where it was revealed that Minnie Hauk would chart a direct path to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Christophe Soumillon was likely to fill in for the injured Ryan Moore. 

It was announced on Saturday that Moore will be sidelined for an indefinite period of time after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his femur.

Wayne Lordan is the yard's second rider, but he is currently due to be suspended for 10 days after the Goodwood stewards found him to have used his whip in the incorrect place aboard Prestige Stakes winner Precise.

Lordan has lodged an appeal against that ban, which runs from September 9-18, but with the St Leger meeting at Doncaster and the Irish Champions Festival both taking place next week, O'Brien would still be in need of multiple big-race riders as Delacroix is due to run in the Irish Champion Stakes while Scandinavia is a short-priced St Leger favourite.

Asked how plans will change given the news of Moore's injury, O'Brien said: “Wayne is having his appeal this week and obviously Christophe has ridden a lot for us through the year, all those things are changing at the moment. I don't know how long Ryan is going to be but we will tell him to take as much time as he wants.”

O'Brien has often turned to Soumillon, who was previously retained by the late Aga Khan, with the rider partnering Diego Velazquez to win last month's Prix Jacques le Marois while he also rode two Group 1 winners for the team on Arc weekend last year.

He added, “Christophe has always been (part of the plans). He's not tied down to anybody now. He's a world-class jockey everywhere, he's been riding for us a lot since he's been released.”

Meanwhile, Minnie Hauk, who is as short as 5-1 with most firms for the Arc, is likely to head straight to France. 

Providing an update, O'Brien said, “We haven't seen the best of Minnie Hauk at all and you're not going to see the best of her until the tempo is very strong all the way. Physically she's getting bigger and stronger.

“We weren't sure what she was and I thought we'd know this time but we still don't know, she's relentless. She's on the Arc programme.”

He added, “The last day was lovely but we didn't really find out because the second horse (Qilin Queen) pulled back off Wayne (Lordan, on Garden Of Eden) a little so for half a furlong or a furlong she was in limbo land where we would have preferred if she was behind the pacemaker. But it might have been the best thing in the world because she had a very easy race.

“We think when she goes there she doesn't do much, that's the way she is at home. The Arc hopefully will be a strong run race and we're going to find out. She looks very exciting and is still in the 'could be anything' category.”

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