Evergreen Peslier expands wings with first ride in Melbourne Cup

He has won an Epsom Derby, a Japan Cup, a Dubai Sheema Classic, a Hong Kong Cup, four Breeders' Cup races and the same number of Arcs – but Olivier Peslier is all set for a new thrill after being booked to partner Tiberian in the Emirates Melbourne Cup on Tuesday week.

Not only has Peslier never ridden in the race but the Alain Couetil-trained five-year-old - a best priced 20-1 shot with British and Irish firms – could be his first ride in Australia, although the 44-year-old is hoping to get his eye in ahead of time at Flemington.

Olivier Peslier: 'When you get these chances you really have to live in the moment and grab hold of the opportunity'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"It’s my first ride in the race," said Peslier. "Because it's a handicap my previous chances to take part didn’t happen, either because the horse might have been down to carry a really light weight or else, with a horse like Westerner, they had won at Group 1 level and so didn’t go because they'd have had too much weight.

"It’s a fantastic race to be a part of. The Melbourne Cup is one of the great races, and foreign-trained horses have a good recent record. I rode Americain when he was owned by the Wertheimers before he went there and Gerald [Mosse] won the Cup on him."

Tiberian will represent Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock, as well as co-breeders Julian Ince, Heiko Volz and Stefan Falk, and boasts something of a fairytale backstory as a son of Hars du Logis' 'teaser' stallion Tiberius Caesar

Since arriving in Australia off the back of a Group 2 win in the Grand Prix de Deauville, Tiberian has been ridden in work by Hugh Bowman and Craig Williams, but it is Peslier – who is four from five this season on the horse – who has got the big-race nod.

"He can make the running or drop in behind," added the jockey. "He needs a decent pace otherwise he can pull a touch and so he’s better being allowed to stride on. I wouldn’t call him a straightforward ride.

"I’ve won on him both ways and we changed a couple of things which didn’t work out for him in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, but since then he's won twice. He just takes a bit of knowing."

Olivier Peslier and Sir Michael Stoute with the Queen after Dartmouth's 2016 Hardwicke Stakes win for Her Majesty.Credit: Harry Trump

Among the most internationally successful jockeys of his generation, there are very few major worldwide events the man the French press call 'Magic Peslier' has yet to experience.

"I wouldn’t quite compare it to Royal Ascot and it’s on the other side of the world but, when you have the opportunity to ride a horse on whom you’ve already won good races, it's extraordinary to be able to go down there and take part," added Peslier.

"Every great race has its own style, be it the Breeders’ Cup or Royal Ascot with its dress code. When you get these chances you have to live in the moment and grab hold of the opportunity."

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