'He's a very nice ride to pick up' - Richard Kingscote to take over on Royal Ascot winner after Hayley Turner's retirement

Richard Kingscote is set to become the new rider of the classy Docklands following the retirement of Hayley Turner this month.

Turner rode Harry Eustace’s stable star in ten of his 11 starts before he went to Australia and Hong Kong last winter, most notably when landing the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2023.

That success was a fourth and final win at the royal meeting for Turner, and the pair went close to making it a fifth when Docklands finished second to subsequent champion miler Charyn in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes last year.

Docklands, who before that had finished second in the Listed Paradise Stakes on Ascot's trials day, is on a similar trajectory this time around and stepped up his preparation when working under his new rider Kingscote on the Limekilns in Newmarket last week.

Hayley Turner and Docklands: the pair won three times together including at Royal AscotCredit: Alex Pantling

Derby-winning jockey Kingscote, who was a regular visitor to Newmarket before Sir Michael Stoute retired last November, had a 3.15am alarm call at his home in Berkshire before making his way back to Headquarters to ride out for Eustace and others.

After sitting on his new partner for the first time, he said: “Docklands is a classy horse and is a very nice ride to pick up. I’d never sat on him before and it’s nice to come here and link up with Harry and the team. He worked nicely on the long gallop and I'm very much looking forward to riding him on the racecourse."

Kingscote has ridden six winners from just 21 rides for Eustace, who last year began renting out Highfield Stables on the Bury Road from Godolphin.

The jockey has struck up a particularly good partnership with the trainer's three-year-old filly Time For Sandals, who he recently rode into third in the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes at Newbury.

He added: “I think the plan with Docklands is to go to Ascot's trials day and hopefully he can run well there and have another good season after that.”

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