Turf Talk: De Sousa on standby to take on Dettori's mount, James Garfield, in Qipco 2000 Guineas
Silvestre de Sousa will come in for the ride on James Garfield in Saturday's Qipco 2000 Guineas if Frankie Dettori is unavailable.
George Scott’s star colt made a successful start to his three-year-old campaign when winning the Greenham Stakes at Newbury last month, his second big-race success at the Berkshire circuit under Dettori having also landed the Mill Reef last September.
Scott would love the popular Italian to be on board in the first colts’ Classic of the year, but he could yet be required to ride the John Gosden-trained Without Parole and the Newmarket-based trainer is thrilled to have the reigning champion jockey on standby.
He said: “It’s still to be decided if Frankie rides him. It will sit in the hands of Mr Gosden whether he runs Without Parole or not.
“I’m unsure what the situation is regarding running plans with him. We will wait and see and it will be dictated by that rather than anything else.
“He is Frankie’s ride and will be until the last minute. We have an incredible able deputy in Silvestre De Sousa. He is a great friend of the yard.
“He comes and rides work for me a lot. He has ridden James (Garfield) in plenty of work and he is a top, world-class rider.
“It is not as big an issue as it might seem at all. He is a straightforward colt to ride and Silvestre knows him well.”
James Garfield continued his preparation for the weekend when working over six furlongs on the Cambridge Road Polytrack gallop on Tuesday morning.
Scott said: “He has come out of his Newbury run extremely well. Obviously we’ve not done a huge amount of work with him since then. Today was the most he has done and he has come through that lovely.
“He didn’t really have a blow and he was bright and fresh after the work. I’m delighted with that.”
SOBOT’S SELECTIONS
REDCAR: 2.10 Willow Brook, 2.40 Left Alone, 3.10 Diplomacy (next best), 3.40 MAKSAB (NAP), 4.10 Al Khan, 4.40 Moltoir, 5.10 Plansina.
LINGFIELD: 2.00 Attain, 2.30 Mercury Rising, 3.00 What A Party, 3.30 Mishaal, 4.00 Central City, 4.30 Belated Breath, 5.00 Mac O’Polo.
SOUTHWELL: 2.20 Go On Gal, 2.50 Bertie Moon, 3.20 Victory Wave, 3.50 Monks Stand, 4.20 Cryptonite, 4.50 Indian Tinker, 5.20 Scrafton.
CHELMSFORD: 5.50 Shellbrook, 6.20 Poetic Affair, 6.50 Main Street, 7.20 Chiefofchiefs, 7.50 Gold Filigree, 8.20 Two Seas, 8.50 Jeremiah.
MUSSELBURGH: 5.40 Dawoodi, 6.10 Amadeus, 6.40 Soldier’s Minute, 7.10 Clemento, 7.40 Super Florence, 8.10 Lotara, 8.40 Elite Icon.