'Lucky' Coetzee lands Derby ride on Moore's Goggles

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.'