It may have come around much sooner than expected, but Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle are relishing the chance to ride in Hong Kong this weekend as the husband-and-wife jockeys continue their world tour at full throttle.
Marquand and Doyle will ride at Sha Tin on Sunday and Happy Valley next Wednesday after the Hong Kong Jockey Club sent out an S.O.S to the pair to fill the gap in the riding ranks caused by Sunday’s horrific race falls, which left four riders in hospital.
While he acknowledges the unfortunate circumstances of his last-minute call up, Marquand says he is looking forward to testing his mettle again in Asia after recording 21 wins during his recent winter stint in Japan.
“It’s a shame it came about through not very pleasant circumstances and, of course, your main concern with big falls like that is just that everyone is OK,” he told Idol Horse. “But I’m glad to hear all the boys are doing well and the positive news on Vincent being moved out of ICU.
“We’re fortunate that the logistics work because coming over to Hong Kong is something that Hollie and I have been able to do quite a lot of the past couple of years and we really enjoy doing it. To be seen going to Hong Kong as a jockey feels like a really important thing to be doing given its place on the world stage.”
Marquand, third in the British jockeys’ premiership last year, is no stranger to competing at Sha Tin and Happy Valley in recent years. He has regularly been invited to ride in the International Jockeys’ Championship alongside Doyle and has made four trips to Sha Tin to partner the William Haggas-trained Dubai Honour on the big stage.
The 26-year-old lands in Hong Kong on Sunday morning from Qatar, where he is riding on Saturday night, and will arrive at Sha Tin in time to ride after the opening race.
“Hollie and I were asked to come and ride and I’m delighted that we were able to do it. I’m coming from Qatar and Hollie is coming from England, then I’m going to be riding in Bahrain the following Friday and Hollie will be in Saudi.”
Marquand and Doyle’s fleeting trip to Hong Kong adds another stop in their busy international schedule since the turn of the year which has included riding in Bahrain, India and Qatar.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s 11-race card, local reports indicate Marquand will take seven rides including the Caspar Fownes-trained Karma in a Class Two contest over a mile. Doyle’s nine-strong book of rides is headlined by Romantic Thor, who was formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien ∎
