'His claim will surely come in handy' - Jockeys to follow on Irish Champions Weekend A pensar... With Ryan Moore sidelined through injury and Wayne Lordan suspended, Irish Champions Weekend presents unique opportunities for various jockeys to shine across two days of top-class racing worth nearly €5 million in prize money. Christophe Soumillon It has been widely reported that Aidan O’Brien has acquired the services of France-based jockey Christophe Soumillon and there are few jockeys with CVs as impressive as his. The Belgian has ridden big winners all over the world and has been a big name for decades. O’Brien is rarely far away from the winners’ enclosure, especially at this meeting, so Soumillon is going to ride some very smart horses at Leopardstown and the Curragh. The main one is Delacroix, as he’s the one to beat in the Irish Champion Stakes on Saturday. Dylan Browne McMonagle Joseph O’Brien’s first-choice jockey is flying high at the top of the jockeys’ championship currently and he’s got some very useful rides across the weekend. Brown McMonagle could also pick up some spares for Ballydoyle and it’ll be a surprise if he fails to get some winners on the board. North Coast could line up in the KPMG Juvenile Stakes on Saturday and he bolted up in Group 3 company last time out. He would surely be hard to beat if turning up in similar form this time around. William Buick and Colin Keane Buick is likely to be at Doncaster on Saturday, but there are four Group 1s on Sunday and regular boss Charlie Appleby has some interesting entries. Appleby could send the unbeaten Saba Desert over for the National Stakes and he has a good recent record in the race. It’s also worth noting that Buick has ridden plenty of times for Aidan O’Brien in the past so you wouldn’t want to rule out a few rides coming his way courtesy of Ballydoyle. Arabian Crown would also be an interesting candidate in Sunday’s Irish St. Leger. Colin Keane rides Tarriance in the St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday but if he returns to Ireland on Sunday, the County Meath man will have plenty of takers for his services. A regular jockey for both Ger Lyons and Paddy Twomey, they’re a couple of shrewd operators and will provide several big rides across the card. Jack Cleary The upheaval with regards to jockey availability at Ballydoyle could provide some good opportunities for 5lb claimer Jack Cleary. He has been attached to the yard for some time and especially as there are some valuable handicaps, his claim will surely come in handy. Cleary has ridden 11 winners so far this season and it could be worth keeping an eye out for him over the weekend.
