Picture: Ryan Moore at the Breeders Cup meeting. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Ryan Moore to ride in Australia on Dubai World Cup night with James McDonald off to Meydan
Charlie Huggins (Racing Post)
Ryan Moore will miss Dubai World Cup night on Saturday week to take up rides for Coolmore in Australia on the same day.
On an action-packed day with Group/Grade 1 racing from three different continents as well as the Randox Grand National, Moore will ride on the first day of The Star Championships at Randwick.
James McDonald, who would normally be riding for Coolmore at Randwick, will instead be at Meydan to continue his association with Romantic Warrior – the red-hot favourite for the $5 million Dubai Turf.
Moore will ride the Chris Waller-trained Switzerland in the A$3 million (£1.46m/€1.75m) TJ Smith Stakes and he will also partner State Visit for Ciaron Maher in another Group 1, the Inglis Sires’, if Coolmore’s Golden Slipper runner-up Wodeton does not run in the same race.
Coolmore Australia principal Tom Magnier told Sky Sports Radio: “The Dubai World Cup meeting is on next weekend and James was going up there, so Ryan is going to come down here.
“Ryan is on the team, he’s following these races very closely, so he was delighted when I said do you want to come down.”
With Moore elsewhere, McDonald will come in for the ride on the Aidan O’Brien-trained Continuous in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup.
The five-year-old has won only one of his eight starts since landing the 2023 St Leger and was third when sent off the 5-2 favourite for a Group 2 handicap at Riyadh under Moore last month.
