Apprentice Adam Farragher puts British duties on hold to head for Australia

Promising apprentice Adam Farragher has put his British riding duties on hold to head to Australia and help out with his boss William Haggas’s four-strong raiding party at the Autumn Carnival in Sydney.

The 3lb claimer, whose latest ride was a winner for the stable at Southwell on February 21, is riding trackwork and had hoped to participate in barrier trials alongside Tom Marquand until the latter's recent injury.

Marquand, who has been in Newmarket with his also sidelined wife Hollie Doyle, is recovering from a dislocation to his shoulder following a fall at Randwick on February 11 but is hoping to be fit to return to Sydney by the end of the month.

The Haggas quartet – Earl Of Tyrone, Dubai Honour, Purplepay and Protagonist – are based at the Australian Turf Club’s facility at Canterbury, with the latter pair set to get the ball rolling for the team on Saturday.

Haggas said: “The four horses arrived last week and are doing well. Two of them are due to run on Saturday at Rosehill, with Purplepay targeting a Group 1 and Protagonist running in a Group 3 race.”

On Farragher, who has 41 winners in Britain and 20 in Ireland to his name, the trainer added: “There’s not much racing here in March so Adam has gone to Australia to help out. It’s just a shame Tom isn’t out there as they could have ridden in barrier trials together and he would have learnt a lot.”

A year ago, the 23-year-old had been preparing to ride the much fancied Mujtaba for the stable in the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster, until a gallops fall put him in hospital two days before. However, he could have another bite at the cherry.

Haggas said: “The plan is for Adam to come back at the end of the month to ride in the Lincoln on April 1, in which we have two likely runners, Al Mubhir and Montassib, both of whom would prefer some rain. Beyond that we have a ride or two for Adam on all-weather finals day.”

He added: “Tom will hopefully go back out there at the end of the month to fill in. He has his shoulder wired at the moment, which I’m told makes them heal a lot quicker than having a sling, and hopefully he’ll be back riding before too long.”

Earl Of Tyrone, who made a winning start for the stable at Kempton last month, is being aimed at the Group 1 A$2 million (£1.13m/€1.27m) Sydney Cup at Randwick on April 8. Dubai Honour is booked for the A$5m Queen Elizabeth Stakes on the same day, a contest Haggas won in 2020 and 2021 with his stalwart Addeybb.

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