Replacement jockey Tom Marquand wins St Leger on Galileo Chrome

A Flat season like no other saw perhaps its most freakish twist of fortune here on Saturday, as Tom Marquand landed his first British Classic in the 244th St Leger aboard Galileo Chrome, a horse whose regular jockey, Shane Crosse, was forced out of the race by a positive test for coronavirus before his flight to the UK from Ireland on Friday.

Crosse, on the first of his 14 days in self-isolation, must have despaired as Marquand brought Galileo Chrome, a 4-1 shot, down the middle of the track for a hard‑fought half-length success over Berkshire Rocco with Pyledriver, who drifted left in the final two furlongs, another length away in third.

Marquand was originally booked to ride English King in the race before his trainer opted instead for a race in Paris on Sunday. He heard of his booking for Joseph O’Brien’s colt as he was down at the start before a race on Friday.

His first thought after pulling up was for the unfortunate Crosse, who is at much the same stage of his career. “I can’t stress enough how bad I feel for him,” Marquand said. “We’ve all been in a situation where things haven’t gone our way and we’re both relatively young so I really can relate. He’ll be sat at home in pieces no doubt. I guess the one thing is in racing, it always comes back around so no doubt he’ll have his day and I’ll look forward to seeing him do it.”

Marquand himself can testify to that, having been jocked off English King earlier in the year in favour of Frankie Dettori when the colt was the favourite for the Derby. He was impressively philosophical about that reverse at the time and equally level-headed in his response to his good fortune on Saturday.

“I’d got English King back for today but he’s ended up going to France and I couldn’t go there and do the week of quarantine after,” Marquand said. “Shane’s misfortune has fortunately for me ended up in my lap.

“I’ve actually never met him in person, I guess without the restrictions of the last few months he probably would have been over quite a lot and I’d have come across him, but I’ll certainly have a chat with him later on.”

For O’Brien, who rode Leading Light to victory seven years ago, this was also a first British Classic as a trainer, and he is only the second person in nearly 250 years of the oldest Classic to both ride and train a winner.

Johnny Murtagh, O’Brien’s predecessor as Aidan O’Brien’s stable jockey, also enjoyed a Group One success on Saturday, his first as a trainer after more than 100 in the saddle, as Champers Elysees took the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.

Later on the card, Ghaiyyath suffered his first defeat of the season behind Aidan O’Brien’s Magical when odds-on for the Irish Champion Stakes.

Ghaiyyath took up his familiar position at the head of the field but did not shake off his pursuers as he has in the past this season, and Magical moved alongside with a furlong to run before pulling nearly a length clear at the line.