Rookie jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot on Tuesday received a vote of confidence
from the connections of the leading Epsom Derby contender Ocovango. Having
partnered Prince Faisal’s unbeaten colt in all three of his starts and in last
Thursday’s “Breakfast With the Stars” gallop at Epsom, the 20-year-old rookie
will bid to emulate Mickael Barzalona in winning the blue riband on his first
ride in the race on Saturday.
With just one ride in Britain behind him — a third on Brigantin in the 2011
Gold Cup at Royal Ascot — it is the plan to give him experience of Epsom on
Friday’s Epsom Oaks card.
“Pierre-Charles is a very good jockey and is third in the championship in
France,” Ted Voute, the owner’s racing and bloodstock manager, told PA Sport.
“Andre Fabre did a similar thing with Mickael, and look what happened there.
“We are trying to find him a ride for Friday, but it’s very difficult. Either
way, we’re very confident we have the right man for the job. He knows the horse
inside out, but I would think he still needs a bit of luck in running, like all
the jockeys do. I certainly don’t see him as a negative.”
Ocovango enjoys some parallels with 2011 winner Pour Moi, as he comes into
the classic on the back of a win in the Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud May 4.
“He’s a lovely mover, and the covering at Epsom is just magical,” Voute
added. “Everyone says he needs cut in the ground, but I walked the course when
he ran at Saint-Cloud on his last two starts and it was perfect ground both
times, especially in the Greffulhe.
“We appear to be coming in under the radar, which is just how we like it.
He’ll have a quiet week and will come to England later in the week with a
companion he always travels with. All is well, and we are slowly getting more
and more excited. It’s very special to get a horse good enough to run in the
Derby — it’s what we aim for in our business.”
Any firm-ground fears appeared to ease considerably Tuesday, with heavy and
persistent rainfall altering the conditions. Epsom’s Clerk of the Course Andrew
Cooper tweeted, “16mm rain at Epsom today ahead of Derby Festival. Taken it well
and ground a mix of good and good to soft. GoingStick 7.0.”
Meanwhile, Qatar Racing has purchased a half-share in Oaks protagonist Secret
Gesture ahead of the classic. Currently trading as favorite for the 1 1/2-mile
contest as a result of her 10-length success in the May 11 Lingfield Oaks Trial,
the Ralph Beckett trainee will remain with that conditioner but race in the
Qatar silks instead of her other part-owner Newsells Park Stud.
“We’ve bought a 50 percent share and Newsells Park Stud will retain the other
50 percent,” David Redvers told PA Sport. “Nothing else will change, apart from
she will run in our colors. She looks to have a big future, she was very
impressive at Lingfield so you’d think that she will handle Epsom okay.”
Redvers also confirmed that the filly’s regular jockey Jim Crowley would
retain the ride rather than handing over the reins to the establishment’s
retainee Jamie Spencer.
“I’m really looking forward to it and it’s very nice of them to keep me on
the filly,” Crowley said. “I’ve been very lucky for Sheikh Fahad in the past.
She handled Lingfield very well and the reason she went there is because it is
similar to Epsom. I went down to Ralph’s the other day to give her a last bit of
work and I couldn’t have been happier.”
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