John and Thady Gosden turn to jockey Colin Keane to partner their Irish 2,000 Guineas favourite Field Of Gold
Keane, attached to the Ger Lyons yard, has been champion jockey on this side of the Irish Sea for the past five seasons.
John and Thady Gosden have gone with local knowledge rather than booking an English jockey by adopting a 'best available' policy after Field Of Gold's defeat in the English Guineas when ridden by Kieran Shoemark.
Keane has already tasted Classic glory in the famous Juddmonte silks, having won the Irish 2,000 Guineas on Siskin for Lyons in 2020 and when he was booked by Ralph Beckett for Westover in the Irish Derby in 2022.
'I'm delighted to be asked to ride him, he looks a very good ride going into the race, I'm very much looking forward to it,' said Keane.
'The Juddmonte colours are those that growing up watching racing, you know who they are. I've been very fortunate to win two Classics wearing them and a couple more Group Ones and I'm just delighted to be asked to ride the colt at the weekend.
'Winning the Irish Guineas a few years ago for Ger was one of my best days. It's such a huge race and Juddmonte hadn't long been in the yard, he was their first Group One together.
'To get a horse of Siskin's calibre very early on was very special and for him to then go and win a Classic was very special, it was a brilliant day.'
Meanwhile, Donnacha O'Brien will supplement his unbeaten filly Atsila into the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas today.
She didn't make her debut until April this year when winning a minor event at Bellewstown, but she stepped up markedly on that a month later to win the Group Three Athasi Stakes at the Curragh.
'The plan is to supplement her on Tuesday for the 1,000 Guineas,' said O'Brien yesterday. 'Her form looks strong. To be fair to Barry [Fowler, owner], he is game for anything. It was my fault that I didn't have her in the race in the first place, but he's more than happy to supplement and take a chance.
'I think she's entitled to be in the race.'
O'Brien also plans on being represented in the 2,000 Guineas by Comanche Brave after he pushed Henri Matisse close on his seasonal return and the winner subsequently went and won the French Guineas.
'He is working very well and I think he'll probably outrun his odds,' said O'Brien. 'He's not a big horse, but he's always worked like a very good horse. We're going to give him a chance in the Guineas. We could end up going back to seven [furlongs] for the Jersey [Stakes} at Ascot.'
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