CHROME & DRY
Stand-in jockey Tom wins St Leger and makes it a double for trainer O’brien
TOM MARQUAND found that when one door closes another opens as Galileo Chrome shone brightest to land a gamble in the Pertemps St Leger at Doncaster.
The win gave the 22-year-old rising jockey a first Group 1 in his homeland, and was also a first British Classic success for trainer Joseph O’brien ( below). )
Marquand, jocked off Derby rby favourite English King by y
Frankie Dettori earlier in the e summer – he was eventually y second to Serpentine at Epsom on 50-1 outsider Khalifa Sat – had been due to rekindle the he partnership in the oldest Classic. sic.
But English King’s connections elected to bypass Doncaster to run in France this afternoon, leaving Marquand without a Leger ride – until Galileo Chrome’s rider, Irish apprentice Shane Crosse, tested positive for Covid-19.
“I can’t stress enough how bad I feel for him because we’ve all been in a situation where things haven’t gone our way,” said Marquand, who forced the 4- 1 shot, backed from 20-1, home by a neck from 16- 1 chance Berkshire Rocco, with
Pyledriver a length back in third. third “Shane will be sat at home in pieces, no doubt. I guess the one thing in racing is it always comes back round, so he’ll have his day and I look forward to seeing him do it.”
Marquand’s girlfriend Hollie Doyle has been the headliner in recent weeks with a history-making five-timer at Windsor two weeks ago and another seasonal century, achieved at Sandown Park on Friday. He smiled: “We’re both really fortu fortunate to be in the position we’re in – to have had the run we’ve had o over the last couple of years and we’re both proud of each other’s achievements. There’s no top dog in the house.”
O’brien, triumphant aboard fa father Aidan’s Leading Light on Town Moor in 2013, is the second person, after the legendary Harry Wragg, to ride and train a St Leger winner.
Speaking from home as a precaution after Crosse’s positive test, O’brien, 27, said: “It’s fantastic. A great performance and when Tom was available, we didn’t have to look any further.”
Not to be outdone, Aidan O’brien saddled Magical to exact revenge on Ghaiyyath and land the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown for the second time in a row.