New rider required for Limato in July Cup defence

Caravaggio's likely appearance in the Darley July Cup under Ryan Moore is set to leave the connections of last year's winner Limato having to find a new jockey for their sprinter on one of the days of the year when top riders are in short supply.

Moore rode Limato into third place in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot but would be claimed by Aidan O'Brien for the Newmarket Group 1 race on July 15, a day dubbed Super Saturday in the calendar because of the wealth of high-quality meetings on one afternoon.

The ride at Royal Ascot went to Moore after regular jockey Harry Bentley, who partnered Limato to two Group 1 wins last year, was ditched following the sprinter's flop in Dubai in March. James Doyle, Andrea Atzeni, Graham Lee and David Probert have also won on the Henry Candy-trained five-year-old.

Owner Paul Jacobs said: "We assume Caravaggio will be running there and Ryan will on board. That's something Henry and I need to talk about. There are one or two jockeys I would like to have but that will discussed with Henry and we'll see who we can get.

"That day is the manic Saturday when there are also high-calibre race meetings at York, Ascot and Chester, and there is one at the Curragh as well. It's almost like the last man standing. We'll be seeing what arrangements we can come to as soon as we can."

Limato suffered pulled muscles in finishing tenth of 12 in the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai on ground softened by heavy rain, which was blamed on cloud-seeding operations carried out by UAE meteorologists.

He made his first appearance since that run at Royal Ascot, where he was squeezed up in the closing stages by the winner The Tin Man and beaten around a length.

Jacobs said: "What we thought was a good draw didn't turn out to be one. Given he hadn't run in Europe this year and the last run was the pretty disastrous experience in Dubai, and the interference he suffered, we were pretty happy.

"He had had various issues, particularly with muscle enzymes after being pulled around on the ground in Dubai, and until ten to 12 days before the race we weren't even sure he was in a position to run."

Limato has been linked with the Everest, the new six-furlong race at Royal Randwick in Australia in October, which will be the world's richest turf race with A$10 million (£5.8m) in prize-money.

The race is open to local and international horses whose connections pay A$600,000 (£350,000) for a place in the field. Caravaggio is believed to be a contender, while expressions of interest in the slot held by the Australian Turf Club closed on Friday.

Jacobs said: "We received a communication about it last week. I think the situation is that 11 of the 12 slots have gone but the Australian Turf Club have kept one for themselves and I think their idea is to see what internationals might be interested in coming to an arrangement to take the 12th slot.

"Our focus on the moment is on Saturday week and the July Cup. It's difficult to think in terms of mid-October on the other side of the world."