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By Ray Hickson

Jockey Tom Marquand admits to mixed feelings as he watched Dubai Honour run away with the Ranvet Stakes without him but is excited at the prospect of a third win in the $5 million Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes next month.

Tom Marquand is back riding in Sydney from Wednesday. (Pic: Racing Post)

The popular UK hoop makes a much earlier return than expected from a shoulder injury sustained during a fall in the Inglis Millennium, on February 11, with a cameo appearance of two rides at Wednesday’s Kensington meeting before getting back into the Group 1 action at Rosehill on Saturday.

The initial prognosis was at least six weeks on the sidelines following an operation but he’s made it back in the space of just over a month having completed his fitness and concussion tests back in the UK.

“There was a small part of me that thought about coming back last Saturday. But I’d have been coming back and risking it,’’ he said.

“It would have been lovely to be on Dubai Honour but it might have been the wrong thing to do.”

Marquand, who turns 25 later this month, arrived back in Sydney over the weekend and elected to take some warm up rides midweek to get his eye back in for his carnival assignments.

He’s booked to ride Baron Samedi for Joseph O'Brien in the Group 1 $1.5m Kia Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill, among his other rides he'll partner Waihaha Falls in the Group 3 Star Kingdom Stakes (1200m), Diamil in the Group 3 Doncaster Prelude (1500m) and Larkspur Run in the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes (1500m).

“Until a few days ago I was just going to start on Saturday but Annabel and John had a couple of rides,’’ he said.

“Diving in on a Group 1 day at your first day back is fine but it’s not leaving much margin for error. Having a couple of rides will warm me back in.”

He has a philosophical view on missing out on rides that not only include Dubai Honour - he was also set to partner Protagonist in the Sky High, which the William Haggas-trained galloper won, and Artorius in the Canterbury Stakes among other bookings.

And he thanks his wife Hollie Doyle, who has been spurring him on in recovery as she also works her way back to full fitness from injury, for “setting me straight”.

“She said if you were missing nothing you’d probably be having a bad time,’’ he said.

“But how exciting to have a horse like that going into a Group 1. Addeybb was always workmanlike, imagine if he’d gone and won the Ranvet the second year like that you’d be rubbing your hands going to the Queen Elizabeth.”

Marquand has been a regular visitor to Sydney since was embraced by the racing public back in the 2018/19 summer, not only because of his success on the track but his affable nature.

In the 2020 autumn Addeybb, now retired, gave him his first Group 1 win in the Ranvet Stakes before taking out the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Horse and jockey returned 12 months later, amid the Covid pandemic, to have two famous battles with Verry Elleegant in the same races. The champion mare beat him in the Ranvet before he turned the tables at Randwick.

Marquand said it’s natural to be excited by the prospect of winning the weight-for-age grand final again but is wary Dubai Honour has a formidable rival in Anamoe not to mention what the Japanese galloper Unicorn Lion might bring to the table.

Dubai Honour wins the Ranvet Stakes

“Anamoe is a monster in himself and winning at 1500m the way he did the other day, it’s going to be a tough race,’’ he said.

“William was really keen on the fact he thought he had Dubai Honour in the best form he’s ever had him and the other day showed that.

“Coming down here can be a turning point in a horse’s career. He’s won a Group 1 and is looking like he could go on and do something else.

“But to think it’s going to be straightforward would be extremely naïve.

“It’s horse racing, most of the time it’s pretty easy to manage expectations but it is exciting. If you can’t look forward to that what are you doing.”

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