Gordon success rewarded with first US ride in Keeneland Grade 1

Josephine Gordon is set to break new ground on Saturday when she rides Unforgetable Filly in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Keeneland.

The German 1,000 Guineas winner will be Gordon's first ride in the United States and goes there with a live chance provided the ground is quick, and trainer Hugo Palmer believes the rider has more than earned a shot at a Grade 1 victory after another successful year.

Palmer, who will have Group or Graded runners on three continents this weekend and heads to Australia on Wednesday, said: "It's an opportunity for Josephine that was always going to come.

"I've had it in mind she'd ride if we got this far with the filly, and I felt a European jockey might have won the race for us last year on Hawksmoor, who is a very similar filly and was beaten a head and a nose.

"Josephine has had another incredible year and gets better and better. She's riding in stakes races now on a regular basis and so to ride in a Grade 1 on a filly with a chance is a very natural progression and thoroughly deserved."

Unforgetable Filly: landed the German 1,000 Guineas last year and is back for moreCredit: John Grossick Racing Photography

He added: "Unforgetable Filly is already there, and she's eating, drinking and fresh and well in herself. We could have done without the rain they had at the weekend, but the track dries very quickly and it should be decent enough ground by Saturday."

Palmer runs Solario Stakes third Arbalet in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket but will be on the other side of the world by then, supervising the running of his Melbourne Cup hope Wall Of Fire and the former Andre Fabre Listed winner Mask Of Time, who will be making his first appearance for the stable.

He said: "It's going to be an exciting weekend as we've runners in Group races on three continents. I must admit it's a bit of a buzz."

He continued: "I haven't seen Wall Of Fire since he left 12 days ago, but my team say he's doing very well. It's all a little bit up in the air but he may well run in the Herbert Power this weekend.

"I think there's a good chance he'll get in the Melbourne Cup anyway, but to be guaranteed it and take the pressure off he needs a penalty. He's also a possible for the Caulfield Cup, but the likely thinking is we'll go for the Herbert Power and if that doesn't come off the Geelong Cup.

"Mark Zahra rides at the weekend, and the owner Aziz Kheir, who is Melbourne-based, has lined up Tommy Berry to come over from Hong Kong for the Melbourne Cup, but these things can always change and in the absence of a leading Australian who can do the weight, he'd be delighted to have Josephine."

Mask Of Time, who is in the same ownership, originally went to Palmer purely for quarantine, but he thrived during his short stay and Ciaron Maher, who was his intended trainer in Australia, is now suspended.

Palmer is looking forward to racing him and said: "It's a bonus we get to run him in the Toorak Handicap on Saturday, or in the Listed race if he doesn't get in. His work has been very good, so it's exciting."

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