Jockey Rachel King will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore when she jets in from the prestigious Breeders’ Cup meeting to ride in her fourth Melbourne Cup.
King was confirmed for the mount on South Australian The Map on Friday, the mare having secured her place in the field with her Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) victory in May.
The British-born King has ridden in the Melbourne Cup three times with her best result a tenth aboard Tulloch Lodge stayer Military Mission last year.
While she is yet to feature in the finish, the experiences have whetted her appetite for more and she is thrilled she will again be part of Australia’s most famous race day.
“I am happy to stay in Sydney for the majority of the spring, but come Cup day, I want to ride in the Cup,” King said.
“I have ridden in the last three, they’ve been my first three that I have done, and I don’t want to miss a year.”
Melbourne Cup Day will cap a busy fortnight for the Sydney-based jockey.
After riding at the Spring Champion Stakes meeting at Randwick on Saturday where she won the Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m) aboard Iknowastar, King was due to fly to the US to prepare for the mount on Japanese horse Satono Carnaval in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (1600m) at Del Mar on Friday.
She is the first Australian resident to ride at the world-renowned event and regards the Noriyuki Hori-trained youngster as a genuine chance.
“It is that time of year where it does clash with our spring carnival, but I’m very excited to go over there and on a horse that is a good chance as well,” King said.
King will miss next Saturday’s rich Golden Eagle Day program at Rosehill and Derby Day at Flemington to compete in the Breeders’ Cup, before joining internationally renowned jockeys Ryan Moore and William Buick on a flight to Melbourne to ride in the Cup on Tuesday week.
Moore is booked to partner Jan Brueghel ($6.50) for Aidan O’Brien and Buick the Willie Mullins-trained Vauban ($8)
The Map has raced three times this spring, the latest when sixth to Onesmoothoperator in the Geelong Cup (2400m) on Wednesday and is a $34 chance for the Melbourne feature.