Aidan O'Brien: Christophe Soumillon to play a major role for Ballydoyle this autumn in Ryan Moore's injury absence

Aidan O’Brien has revealed Christophe Soumillon will be a big part of the Ballydoyle team in the coming months while Ryan Moore is out of action with a broken leg.

Ballydoyle was rocked by the news over the weekend that number one rider Moore is set to miss the remainder of the season through injury. Moore has fractured his right femur, an injury he had been struggling on with for the last two months according to O'Brien.

The absence of one of the world's leading riders posed an immediate headache for O'Brien, who could also be without number two rider Wayne Lordan from September 9 to 18 after he received a ten-day suspension at Goodwood last Sunday. Lordan is appealing this week against the ban, which means he is set to miss a significant period including the Irish Champions Festival and the four-day St Leger meeting at Doncaster.

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It is a period when O'Brien is set to run many of his stable's biggest stars, with Scandinavia and Lambourn dominating the Leger market and Delacroix among the leading lights set to grace the Irish Champions Festival stage.

However, O'Brien hinted he has moved quick to secure the services of another world-class jockey in Soumillon. 

Speaking at a press morning ahead of Irish Champions Festival, which takes place on September 13 and 14, O'Brien said: "Christophe has ridden a lot for us. I don’t know how long Ryan is going to be out for but I will tell him to take as much time as he wants.

Scandinavia: one of Ballydoyle's big Autumn hopesCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

"Christophe has always been a part of our plans. He’s not tied down to anybody now and he’s a world-class jockey everywhere in the world. He has been riding for us a lot since he’s been released."

Soumillon won the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois for O'Brien last month on Diego Velazquez and made plenty of his opportunities for the stable last season. He partnered two Group 1 winners for O'Brien in Grateful and Camille Pissarro on Arc weekend last year, while he was also aboard Los Angeles for his Criterium de Saint-Cloud win the year before.

O'Brien added: ‘’It’s very possible that he could come over to Ireland a bit. He’s a very experienced and very uncomplicated fella and he’s not tied down to anyone.

"Ryan is gone, it looks like Wayne is gone for the big weekend, too, although his appeal is this week so I can’t see why Christophe won’t [be a part of it].’’

Read these next:

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Ballydoyle rocked by shock news that Ryan Moore will miss rest of Flat season with a broken leg 

Ryan Moore injury: what major fixtures will he miss and who might get some big opportunities? 

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