Hollie Doyle bids for ride on leading Melbourne Cup contender
Hollie Doyle has taken a proactive approach to securing a first ride in the Melbourne Cup by putting her name forward to partner ante-post second favourite Soulcombe in November.
Doyle has reached out to Soulcombe's trainer Chris Waller and managing owner Ozzie Kheir for the ride on a horse she steered to victory in last year's Melrose Handicap at York.
"I won the Melrose on him when he was trained by William Haggas, so I do know the horse," she told racing.com. "I don't have high expectations to get the ride, but if you don't ask, you don't get I suppose.
"Obviously, he won at the weekend and it was just an idea, an ambitious one, but who knows? To just get a ride in the Melbourne Cup would be great, let alone on a horse with a chance like Soulcombe."
Soulcombe moved to Australia following his York win and made a successful debut for Waller on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington last year.
Soulcombe (near side): second favourite for the Melbourne Cup
After a decisive success at Caulfield last Saturday under Blake Shinn, Soulcombe is behind only favourite Vauban in the betting for the Flemington showpiece on November 7, at odds between 8-1 and 10-1.
The weights for the Melbourne Cup will be issued in two weeks' time and Soulcombe's predicted amount of around 53kgs could prove too low for Shinn, which might open the door for Doyle.
Kheir confirmed he had received an email from Doyle, who has no issue with light weights, and said no jockey will be secured before the Melbourne Cup weights are published.
"She is certainly in the mix," Kheir said.
Doyle is set to ride at the Flemington carnival with husband Tom Marquand and is making every effort to line up rides.
"We've got a few people trying to help out, but I do know how hard it is to get rides at that meeting, so I'm just hoping," she said.
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