Ryan Moore, who rides first call for Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O'Brien, has entered quarantine in Ireland as of last Saturday and will be riding in Ireland at Irish Champions Weekend on Sept. 12-13. These will be Moore's first rides in Ireland in 2020, as COVID-19 has kept him in the UK earlier in the season.
“As people travelling from the UK to Ireland currently have to quarantine on arrival for 14 days, I flew over immediately after racing at Goodwood last Saturday afternoon so that I could ride at the Irish Champions Weekend, starting on Sept. 12 at Leopardstown and moving on to The Curragh the following day,” Moore told Betfair. “It means that I am stuck in a house on my own for a fortnight, but it is well worth that small hardship. It has obviously been a touch frustrating on a personal level, watching so many of our stars winning in Ireland this season, while I have had to stay at home.
“It is just not missing out on the likes of the Classic winners like Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) in the Irish Derby and Peaceful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Irish 1000 Guineas, but it is getting to know the youngsters and other horses, too.
“There is no substitute for getting a first-hand feel for all of the horses, as I always say. There is only so much a form book, or a video, can tell you. Not that I can even ride out while I am over here, but hopefully Aidan has lined up a strong team for the meeting.
“Irish Champions Weekend is so important that it made total sense for me to come over. It is a major meeting that you always want to be part of. It is a shame that there will be no one on track, but it is a fantastic programme of racing with top-class horses.”
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