Paul Carberry may be missing out on the chance to ride Imperial Call in the King George VI Chase but ample compensation was provided yesterday when he was confirmed as the new rider of Dorans Pride in Monday's Ericsson Chase.
Lisselan Farms also ended a week of speculation as to who would replace Carberry in the King George by naming Mick Fitgerald as Imperial Call's Kempton partner.
Dorans Pride's trainer Michael Hourigan kept his options open for as long as possible after Richard Dunwoody opted for the Gold Cup favourite, Florida Pearl, in the Ericsson but yesterday came down in favour of Carberry.
"Carberry will ride the horse on Monday. He sat on the horse the other day and schooled him and we're happy to have him," Hourigan said. As to whether Carberry will keep the ride on Dorans Pride for the rest of the season, Hourigan commented: "At the moment, he rides on Monday. We'll think about the future after Monday. We're taking things one day at a time. The horse is in very good form."
One of Dorans Pride's opponents at Leopardstown will be Suny Bay, the grey's trainer Simon Sherwood confirmed yesterday morning.
Sherwood had been weighing up his options of the Leopardstown race or the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase, with £20,000 in added prizemoney, at Wetherby on the same day. But the fact that Suny Bay, the winner of Haydock's Edward Hanmer and Tommy Whittle Chases in his two outings for Sherwood, would compete at level weights at Leopardstown rather than having to concede 17lb and upwards to his Wetherby opponents has turned his connections' minds in favour of the Leopardstown Grade Two.
"Touch wood, as we stand at the moment the plan is definitely to go to Ireland, and Graham Bradley rides," said Sherwood. We have got to take one step at a time. He will do just a little bit of work tomorrow and if that goes OK, that is where he will be."
Imperial Call will be joined by stablemates Follow The Leader and Runaway Renegade in minor races on the same Kempton card.
Jockey plans have yet to be finalised for those two horses but their trainer, Raymond Hurley, was happy to report Fitzgerald's booking for the 1996 Gold Cup winner.
"Mick has never ridden for us before but he was available for this and we've picked him. He is a top-class rider who is in very good form and is also a very good horseman," said Hurley.
Fitzgerald described himself as feeling "privileged" to have got the ride on Imperial Call, who will bid to become the first Irish-trained King George winner since Captain Christy in 1975.
"I've got closer to Imperial Call than most in the past when I was second to him on Rough Quest in the Gold Cup. I got to his quarters at the last and then I saw him pull away up the hill. I thought then he could become a back-to-back Gold Cup winner but he has had his problems," said Fitzgerald.
"Without doubt the King George is the big race of the winter in Britain and it would be fantastic to be associated with an Irish winner of the race. Kempton is a quick track, but if you look at the records, horses who have done well at the Cheltenham festival also do well at Kempton. The meeting that is held in Kempton three weeks before Cheltenham has thrown up more festival winners than any other. I was very impressed when Imperial Call won at Naas and Punchestown and I'm very hopeful," he added.
