Andrea Atzeni drafted in for Zechariah Leger ride as Marquand heads to Ireland

Dual St Leger-winning jockey Andrea Atzeni will ride Zechariah in Saturday's Doncaster Classic, with regular partner Tom Marquand required by William Haggas for Alenquer in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on the same day.

Marquand has ridden Zechariah on three of his nine starts, winning twice, including the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury last month.

Despite schooling the three-year-old colt at Freddie and Martyn Meade's Manton base last Friday, Marquand will instead ride at Leopardstown as Alenquer attempts to win his second Irish Group 1 of the season.

Martyn Meade was last week resigned to the fact that Marquand's first priority would be with his boss Haggas but said that he was not worried about using a new rider given Zechariah's straightforward nature.

In Atzeni, who recorded back-to-back victories in the final Classic of season when following up Kingston Hill's win in 2014 with success on Ralph Beckett's Simple Verse in 2015, the Meades have found a more than capable deputy.

Atzeni has already picked up high-profile rides on Stradivarius this season and his agent Steven Croft said on Tuesday morning: "Andrea has been booked for Zechariah and I've jocked him up on the horse this morning."

Zechariah is a general 10-1 chance, though as short as 8-1 with Paddy Power, for the £700,000 event, with New London odds-on to supply Godolphin, Charlie Appleby and William Buick with victory in the Classic for a second year in a row.

Tom Marquand will head to Ireland to ride Alenquer in the Irish Champion StakesCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Although Marquand will miss out on a ride in the race he won in 2020 aboard Galileo Chrome, he will hope Alenquer can follow up his Tattersalls Gold Cup win at the Curragh in May.

Alenquer missed his most recent engagement in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York because of a dirty scope. The four-year-old is a best-priced 20-1 chance for the Irish Champion Stakes, where he will renew rivalry with Vadeni and Mishriff, behind whom he brought up the rear in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown in July.

Armando Duarte, racing manager to MM Stables, owners of Alenquer, said: "All is good with Alenquer and he won’t mind any ease in the ground in Ireland where he should handle the track. It was a shame he missed York but he goes to Leopardstown a fresh horse because of it.

"The plan is for Tom Marquand to ride him as he usually does and we are looking forward to it. All being well he could have another crack at the Arc or the Champion Stakes after that."

Cazoo St Leger (3.30 Saturday, Doncaster)

Paddy Power: 5-6 New London, 4 Eldar Eldarov, 13-2 Hoo Ya Mal, 7 Haskoy, 8 Zechariah, 12 Bluegrass, 14 French Claim, 20 bar.

Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (3.45 Saturday, Leopardstown)

Coral: 6-4 Vadeni, 7-2 Mishriff, 4 Luxembourg, 13-2 Onesto, 10 La Petite Coco, 14 Alenquer, 16 Stone Age, Tuesday, 25 Broome, 40 Boundless Ocean, 50 Duke De Sessa

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