THE race is on to secure the ride aboard Stradivarius in next Sunday’s Arc.
John Gosden’s superstar stayer is being readied for the historic Longchamp contest – but right now he doesn’t have a jockey.
Regular rider Frankie Dettori will be aboard a certain Enable as she bids to become the first horse to win the Arc three times.
That means there is a huge opportunity going begging for one lucky jock, with the three-time Gold Cup winner currently a 14-1 shot with Betfair for Sunday’s showpiece.
And the same firm have priced up the jockey’s race to ride Stradivarius, with France-based Spaniard Ioritz Mendizabal the current 7-4 jolly.
He steered John Gosden’s Mishriff to an impressive success in the French Derby earlier in the season, while he also won a Group 1 for trainer James Fanshawe on Audarya.
He’s been one of the go-to men for British trainers who have needed the services of a local jockey in France this summer, but Robert Havlin, a long-time servant of the Gosden yard, is also firmly in contention.
Betfair’s Barry Orr said: “Since Frankie gave Stradivarius a big shout out on ITV on Saturday the question has been on everyone’s lips.
“Top French jockey Ioritz Mendizabal heads the market at 7-4 after linking up with John Gosden to win the Prix Du Jockey Club in July.
“Next in line is stable stalwart Rob Havlin, who has been riding Stradivarius in all his work at home, but the quarantine rules may preclude him as he is such an important cog in the Clarehaven wheel that they may be reluctant to let him go.
“Olivier Peslier has won it four times and, at this stage, is without an obvious ride, he is a 7-1 chance, while there is a clutch of other French based jockeys who will finalising their plans during the week that look contenders for the ride.”
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Love remains the rock-solid 13-8 favourite for the Arc with Betfair.
Enable is currently 9-4, with the likes of Mogul (10-1), Raabihah (12-1) and Persian King (14-1) next in line.
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