Tom Marquand is “95% certain” to be aboard multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S. on Oct. 15, according to owner Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum's racing manager Bruce Raymond. The colt's usual rider, Christophe Soumillon, will be serving part of his 60-day suspension for elbowing another jockey out of the saddle in a race, during that time period. A dual Group 1 winner as a juvenile, the bay's most recent victory was in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. His latest two efforts were sevenths in the G1 July Cup S. at Newmarket in July and in Deauville's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest on Aug. 7.
Raymond said, “We've hopefully got Tom Marquand booked. William [Haggas] has Jon and Julia Aisbitt's horse [Tiber Flow (Ire) (Caravaggio)] in the race. He may run that, but he might just let Tom off to ride ours.
“Tom is very keen to ride ours and we're 95% certain we've got him.”
Raymond added of the Richard Fahey trainee's most recent effort, “Richard said he'd got a bit sore–not jarred up–just a bit sore.
“Hopefully the weather will break before the weekend, as he could do with softish ground. You never know this time of year. If it came soft, I would be favouring him a lot. Not just because it is Ascot, but because he is fresher than most.
“He is still a 3-year-old, but he is a mature 3-year-old. I've seen him working and he's good and fresh and he's in top shape.”
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