Young jockey Chad Schofield has snared the ride on Criterion at Royal Ascot ahead of fellow Australians Craig Williams and Damien Oliver.
After Frankie Dettori turned the ride down because of a commitment to a John Gosden runner in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, trainer David Hayes and the horse’s owner, Sir Owen Glenn, had to look elsewhere.
Hayes and Sir Owen watched Criterion work at Newmarket on Wednesday before confirming Schofield had the ride.
Criterion arrived in England some weeks ago and Schofield, who has been spending the Australian winter at Ed Dunlop’s Newmarket stable, has been his regular exercise rider.
Williams rode Criterion to win the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stake at Randwick and had been considered the front runner.
He has booked his ticket to England after confirmation he will ride Brazen Beau if he runs in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes with Joao Moreira required in Hong Kong on that day.
Oliver will also be in England to ride the Gai Waterhouse-trained Wandjina against Brazen Beau.
Trainer Chris Waller will decide by Saturday whether Brazen Beau contests the King’s Stand on the first day of the meeting or waits for the Diamond Jubilee.
