Ger Lyons has spoken of his delight at stable jockey Colin Keane being announced as the new retained rider for Juddmonte.
The pair combined to win the 2020 Irish 2,000 Guineas for the operation with Siskin and the 30-year-old, champion jockey in Ireland for six of the last eight seasons, was given the call to replace Kieran Shoemark on Field Of Gold by the owners when he won this season’s renewal of the Curragh Classic.
Speaking on Monday’s Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Lyons said: “I'm over the moon, when he told me I couldn’t have been more chuffed for the guy.
"I’m very proud of him, I’ve been banging his drum for years, just to see him on the big stage and this is his opportunity. I think it’s well deserved, its one of the jobs if I was a flat jockey I’d covet.
“Those colours, they’re loyal owners, the access to Frankels, Kingmans, it’s just a job I’d covet as a jockey. It couldn’t go to a better guy, they’re in safe hands and I wish them the very best. In him they couldn’t be getting a better striker.
"I’ll be following Colin as always, and he can have access to my horses whenever he wants.
Keane, Lyons and Juddmonte are set to team up at Royal Ascot next week with Babouche.
She’s second favourite for the Group One Commonwealth Cup having impressed when beating Whistlejacket at Naas last month.
“I’m never confident. Babouche is a star, if she never runs again, she owes us all nothing, especially me,” the trainer continued.
“I loved what she did at Naas. Is that good enough? I don’t know. It’s a very, very strong race and I’d be very worried about the Godolphin horse (Shadow Of Light), who placed in the Guineas, dropping back in trip.
“There’s more than him too and you need luck in running as well. I wouldn’t be overly confident with my string at the minute, the way they’re performing.
“That said, the ones I’m looking at were ordinary horses and they always tend to let you down. I wouldn’t be jumping up and down about my string right now going into Ascot though, I’d rather be in a better frame of mind with them, but if I send them I’ll be happy with them."
However, stablemate Lady Iman looks unlikely to make the trip. She’s as low as 5/1 for the Queen Mary having won all three starts to date, including a Group Three at Naas last time, but targets closer to home are more likely for her.
“As we stand, and I’ll talk to Tony O’Callaghan and Roger before I make the entry or not, but as we stand I think we’ll stay at home for the Balanchine/ Phoenix/Moyglare and maybe then go to the Cheveley Park later on.
“That’s the route we're thinking of at the minute. Obviously, I’ll talk to the owners before entries to make sure that’s still the course we’ll take.
"She’s in good order, she’s been push-button for me so I know I’ll get slated by the perceived experts for not lining up at Ascot, but anyone who knows me knows that Ascot isn’t the be all and end all for me. It’s all about the career of the horse going forward, rather than that one week.
“I’ve done it with the Railway Stakes over the years and it’s worked for me and if that’s what Tony wants, I’ll be 100% behind him."
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