A handicapping mistake means Jason Taylor will ride both Queensland’s Golden Rose hopefuls in their final lead-up races at Doomben.
He will be on O’Reilly Cyrus and Oink on Saturday with the two trying to earn starts in the Group One Golden Rose at Rosehill on September 10.
The lightweight Taylor had already been booked for O’Reilly Cyrus who has 51.5kg in the Coke Zero Plate (1350m).
He picked up the ride on Oink in the Lift Plate (1200m) when it was discovered the gelding had originally been given one kilogram above his proper allocation.
Paul Hammersley had wasted all week to ride Oink at the 53kg but could not make the new weight of 52kg.
Racing Queensland handicapper Lester Grimmett said the allowance for three-year-olds in Plate races had been changed in Queensland this season and Oink had been weighted under the old scale.
“He should have had less weight at 52 kilograms so we quickly made the change when we realised the mistake,” Grimmett said.
Trainer Kelly Schweida was quickly on the phone to find a rider who could get down to 52kg.
“The Gods are really smiling on me. He has drawn barrier 20 and now I have lost my jockey. I feel sorry for Paul (Hammersley) as he has wasted all week,” Schweida sad.
“But I have to take advantage of the weights. Jason is a Group One winning jockey and he will do the job.”
