The annual jockeys' merry-go-round ahead of Sunday week's Hong Kong Derby yesterday saw Felix Coetzee called up to ride leading fancy Goggles, while David Hayes confirmed Shane Dye would be aboard Danamite with Basil Marcus switching to Super Molly. Coetzee, stable jockey to leading trainer Tony Cruz, was able to take up John Moore's offer to ride Goggles after it was confirmed that the Cruz-trained Indubitably Bliss would miss the big race. Golconda, named as first reserve on Wednesday, moves into the lineup to give trainer Ivan Allan a strong hand alongside Olympic Express and Aucash. Golconda is now the only runner without a confirmed jockey, reducing the prospect of superstar Frankie Dettori gaining a big-race mount to almost zero. Moore was delighted to enlist the services of Coetzee on Goggles in place of Eric Saint-Martin, who was aboard the promising English import when he finished an eye-catching second to Red Sun in the ATV Cup at Sha Tin last weekend. 'Felix is a big-race jockey and I have had a lot of success in the past with him,' Moore said yesterday. 'Goggles hasn't been having all the luck in his races and, after discussing it with his owner, Matthew Wong, we thought we might change the jockey in the Derby to change the luck. Felix has won big races for me before and is riding in very good form again this season.' Hayes caused a minor surprise by revealing that Danamite, who finished a close third in the ATV Cup, would have a change of jockey for the Derby but added that nothing had actually changed. 'Shane always rides Meridian Star - he's been on him in his last eight starts - so that was why he rode that horse the other day when Basil rode Danamite,' Hayes explained. 'But Shane was always going to be on Danamite in the Derby and Basil on Super Molly.' Danamite is widely regarded as Hayes' main chance of a first Derby winner, but the trainer said he did not think there was a great amount between his two big-race runners. 'Super Molly is always an underrated horse,' he said. 'If he draws a barrier and gets a nice sit on the back of the speed, he'll come out in the straight and really fight on hard. Tough horses run well in this race. I'm very confident my two will run well.' Dettori, who indicated his keenness to ride in the Derby earlier this week, looks unlikely to get a mount after Eric Legrix was announced as Magical Warrior's rider. The John Size-trained runner was virtually the only remaining option for the flamboyant Italian, but Size said yesterday: 'I wasn't sure about who to get but Eric walked up at trackwork this morning and offered himself for the ride and that was good enough for me. Eric is a top-class rider and ideal for this particular horse.' As expected, Michael Kinane will partner Jeune King Prawn, while Allan's Olympic Express and Aucash will be ridden by Weichong Marwing and Olivier Doleuze respectively. Simon Yim Hin-keung comes back in for the ride on Precision following his return from suspension, with champion jockey Douglas Whyte switching to David Oughton's other runner, Cape Of Good Hope. Last year's Derby-winning team of Brian Kan Ping-chee and Gerald Mosse team up again with Danefactor, while Michael Cahill has picked up the ride on Luckswell, Wendyll Woods is to ride Dashing Winner and Lennart Hammer-Hansen will be aboard Diamond Moon. The Hayes-trained Helene Vitality will be Hong Kong's sole representative at the Dubai World Cup meeting on March 23. The Hong Kong Gold Cup runner-up was confirmed among the selections for the Group One Dubai Sheema Classic when the probable fields were unveiled yesterday.
