Sport : Horse Racing

GODOLPHIN RIDING PLANS IN LIMBO

2nd May 2012, 05:41pm

Godolphin are leaving it late to reveal riding arrangements for their two runners in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday.

First jockey Frankie Dettori and young French protege Mickael Barzalona will be the two taking the mounts for Sheikh Mohammed's two representatives, Discourse and Lyric Of Light, in the fillies' Classic over the Rowley Mile.

But who will ride which of the Mahmood Al Zarooni-trained pair has yet to be announced.

Both fillies went through their two-year-old careers unbeaten, with Lyric Of Light posting a Group One success in the Shadwell Fillies' Mile among her three wins.

Discourse took the Group Three Sweet Solera Stakes on the second of her two starts.

"Both fillies are in very good form," said Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford.

"Frankie (Dettori) will ride one of them, Mickael Barzalona will ride the other. We haven't confirmed which yet.

"Silvestre de Sousa will be in Hong Kong to ride African Story in the BMW Champions Mile."

One French jockey who knows what he is riding in the 1000 Guineas is Gerald Mosse, who teams up with Laugh Out Loud for Mick Channon.

The 45-year-old admits he knows very little about the daughter of Clodovil, who is taking a big step up in class from ordinary races at Wolverhampton and Kempton this year.

However, he is looking forward to being part of the Guineas weekend.

"I haven't ridden the filly, I don't know how good she is and I don't know the form," said Mosse.

"It looks like she has to prove she has some potential, but she is ready to go.

"I am looking forward to coming over and I hope I will get some more rides.

"I will do my best."

Radio Gaga showed she was not out of her depth in Pattern company when runner-up to Moonstone Magic in Newbury's Classic trial.

On that performance her trainer Ed McMahon believes she deserves to take her chance at the highest level.

"It's a tougher race than the Fred Darling, obviously, but I feel she deserves to take her chance," said McMahon.

"We've nothing to lose and there's prize-money down to sixth.

"There's no point wasting money going into the Guineas if you're not a fighting force.

"We're going up another furlong to a mile. It's going to be soft and I would have preferred a bit better ground to get the trip better, but it's going to be the same for everybody."

McMahon will be pleased to hear the going at Newmarket has dried out back to good to soft following a warm and breezy Wednesday.

Director of racing, Michael Prosser, said on Wednesday afternoon: "The going stick reading at 20pm today was 6.8 from 6.1 yesterday and the ground is now good to soft.

"There has been a stiff breeze, particularly this afternoon, and the Rowley Mile course has shown its drying qualities.

"The forecast is for overnight rain into Thursday morning but there is some uncertainty regarding timings and quantities.

"We are predicted to receive six to eight millimetres of rain before it clears away early on Thursday afternoon.

"That is expected to be the last significant rainfall before the Qipco Guineas Festival.

"The forecast is largely dry for Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the possibility of light, isolated showers.

"It will, however, be cooler with a north-easterly breeze.

"If we get the anticipated quarter of an inch of rain between this evening and Thursday lunchtime, it will put the ground back to soft.

"But should the forecast for Friday and Saturday prove correct, the ground will inevitably improve again ahead of the start of the meeting."

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