‘INDIFFERENT’ COVID TEST LEAVES DOYLE IN DOUBT
Officials sweat on star British rider’s IJC availability, while Bowman is keen to make the most of his call-up for tomorrow’s competition at Happy Valley
Superstar British jockey Hollie Doyle is in doubt for tomorrow night’s Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) after returning an “indifferent” Covid-19 test result on her arrival in Hong Kong yesterday.
Doyle, who is one of seven international jockeys flying in for the prestigious event, will undergo further tests today to see whether she is fit to compete in her third consecutive IJC.
“She had indifferent test results, so she’s in doubt and we’ll have to wait and see what the outcome is. She’ll do another test [this] morning. We have to see what the test results are,” Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
“At the moment, there’s no definite decision. We’ll take every precaution, and to make absolutely sure, we’ll wait until tomorrow.”
If Doyle is ruled out of the competition, it is likely Lyle
Hewitson will step in as the next-best ranked jockey in the Hong Kong premiership after only missing out originally because he had fewer seconds than Matthew Chadwick.
“We’ll have a replacement who is a lightweight. It would likely be Lyle because he’s next in the rankings,” EngelbrechtBresges said. “But I don’t want to speculate. Let’s see what the test result is. We’ve had cases where there were positive test results and then we had a negative. Sometimes there can be fluctuations, especially if somebody had something before.”
Doyle’s husband, Tom
Marquand, has also arrived ahead of the IJC and EngelbrechtBresges confirmed he is “100 per cent negative”. Ryan Moore, Jamie Kah and James McDonald have also landed, while Yuga Kawada and Mickael Barzalona are expected to touch down today.
Doyle is the second IJC rider to encounter Covid trouble after Jye McNeil lost his spot in the line-up because of a positive test last week, with Hugh Bowman stepping in.
Bowman is hoping to make the most of his last-minute inclusion after being announced as McNeil’s replacement on Sunday.
“I’m grateful to get the opportunity, but I feel for Jye under the circumstances. It’s not ideal for him, but it’s out of his hands,” said Bowman, who won the IJC in 2016.
“It’s always a fun night. I’ve won it on one occasion, and it’s really good racing. It’s a great spectacle, and I’m sure this year will be no different.”
Bowman partners Forte and Setanta for David Hayes, the Caspar Fownes-trained Royal Pride and Pierre Ng Pang-chi’s Happy Sharing across the four IJC legs and is satisfied with the mounts he has at his disposal.
“I’m not that familiar with them yet, but what does catch my eye is the draws. Three of the four are drawn particularly well and the horses, at a quick glance, have all got good, consistent form, which is important. We’re in with a chance,” he said.
Zac Purton, who is chasing a third straight IJC success and a record fourth win overall, praised the evenness of the competition after yesterday morning’s draw at Sha Tin: “One thing I did notice is ... a bit more depth in the fields this year.”