Former champion jockey Pat Eddery has been booked to ride Access All Areas in the Group One Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes at Leopardstown on Sunday.
John Mulhern, trainer of Access All Areas, said yesterday: "Pat came over to ride the colt on Tuesday and told me he would ride him again on Sunday. He seemed happy enough."
Access All Areas ran his best race to date when finishing third, beaten two and a half lengths, behind Red Sea in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot under Michael Kinane.
And Mulhern is hoping his colt has progressed sufficiently to account for the likes of Black Amber at the weekend. "On a line through Bertolini (fifth in the Coventry but winner of the July Stakes with Black Amber in third) Black Amber is, on the form book, inferior to us but he has improved a lot," Mulhern commented.
"That was a good win for Black Amber in the Prix Robert Papin in France and my colt still has to prove himself in that sort of company."
David Evans' bold bid for the Heinz with Polly Mills received a boost in the opening race at Haydock Park yesterday. The trainer was delighted to see that filly's galloping-companion, Bevelena (John Egan) land the Rainhill Nursery.
