RYAN MOORE could make a £1million mad dash from Britain to Ireland to race in both countries on the same day – in contests less than two hours apart.
The world’s best jockey theoretically could line up in Doncaster’s St Leger at 3.40pm on Saturday, September 13.
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And then scarper over to the Curragh racecourse just outside Dublin for the ride in the Irish Champion Stakes at 5.30pm.
That scenario is on the table for Coolmore’s No1 rider owing to a fixture clash between the huge Irish meeting and the last Classic of the season in Britain.
Moore is no stranger to frantic flights all over the globe – such is the demand for owners to have him on their horses.
And he has previous for this very trip.
In 2018 he won the Group 1 St Leger – this year worth £400,000 to the winner – at 3.35pm and still managed to ride in the 5.25pm Matron Stakes in Ireland.
This year the two big rides look like being either Scandinavia or dual Derby hero Lambourn at Doncaster.
Goodwood Cup winner Scandinavia has drifted to as big as 5-4 having been odds-on for the 1m6f contest.
O’Brien confirmed the Justify colt, who has rocketed up the Ballydoyle ranks this summer, could well clash with his big stable star.
Lambourn has been backed into 4s after his disappointing run in the Great Voltigeur at York, which his trainer admitted amounted to nothing more than a day out.
O’Brien and Coolmore will want Moore back in Ireland for the ride on Delacroix in the Irish Champion Stakes.
There he is set for a decider with John & Thady Gosden’s Juddmonte winner Ombudsman at 5.30pm.
Victory in the Group 1 this year is worth a massive £615,000 – meaning Moore could snaffle prize money of £1m on the day.
Had O’Brien’s No2 jockey Wayne Lordan not picked up a hefty ban and fine recently, then Moore might not have to make the journey.
But Derby winner Lordan is suspended for the entire Doncaster festival and all of Irish Champions weekend after breaking whip rules at Goodwood last weekend.
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