With trainer Dermot Weld's stable jockey, Pat Smullen, having opted to ride dual Derby winner Harzand (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) in Saturday's G1 Qipco Irish Champion S., champion jockey Frankie Dettori has picked up the mount on dual Group 1 winner Fascinating Rock (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the €1.25-million Leopardstown contest.
“It's a good ride for a very good trainer,” said Dettori's agent, Ray Cochrane. “It's smashing and we're lucky to have him. Frankie's not ridden for Mr. Weld in the time I've been doing his rides.”
Smullen has ridden both Fascinating Rock and Harzand in each of their starts to date. For Fascinating Rock, that includes a win in last October's G1 Qipco Champion S., as well as the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup May 22. The 5-year-old returned from a summer break to finish second to the upsetting Success Days (Ire) (Jeremy) in the G3 Royal Whip S. at The Curragh Aug. 21.
Harzand, meanwhille, has won all four outings this year, and has been off since besting G1 St Leger favourite Idaho (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby June 25.
“With Pat Smullen staying loyal to Harzand, Frankie was the obvious choice,” Weld told the Irish Field. He is coming to Leopardstown anyway to ride in the Matron S.”
“The intention is to run the two of them and they both have pacemakers as well, so we expect to have four runners in the race,” Weld added. “There is some rain forecast for Friday which should leave the track spot on. As it stands they both run.”
Dettori thus far has four rides cemented for Irish Champions Weekend.
“He rides Persuasive for John [Gosden] in the [G1] Matron S. and then on Sunday he rides Mehmas in the [G1] National S. and Diploma for Sir Michael Stoute in the Group 2 Blandford S.,” said Cochrane. “We're doing alright with four nice rides at the minute.”
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