Racing
Aussie debut in Caulfield Cup for two riders
A look at the international riders having their first Australian ride in the Caulfield Cup.
Stephane Pasquier will have his first ride in Australia in the Caulfield Cup.
Picture: Racing and Sports
This Saturday's Caulfield Cup contains many riders who are familiar to Australian racing fans, including two-time winner Mark Zahra and Harry Coffey, who landed his first major last year aboard Duke De Sessa.
But there are also some who are not so well known, including two who will be having their first ride in Australia.
France's Stephane Pasquier takes the ride on Presage Nocturne, while Japanese horseman Suguru Hamanaka will ride Golden Snap.
Australia will become the 21st country that Pasquier has ridden in, having won in 13 of those jurisdictions and racked up around 2000 winners.
He has ridden 34 Group 1 winners, most of them in his homeland, where he won France's biggest race, the Arc De Triomphe, aboard Rail Link in 2006.
The 47-year-old finished third in this year's Arc De Triomphe aboard Sosie.
Pasquier knows Presage Nocturne well, having taken over from Christophe Soumillion as the Wootton Bassett six-year-old's regular rider and finished top three at all four rides.
He was aboard when Presage Nocturne won the Group 3 Prix De Barberville (3000m) at Longchamp three runs back and when he was a narrow third placegetter in the Group 2 Prix De Kergorlay (3000m) last time out.
Hamanaka has not travelled as extensively as Pasquier during his career, but the 36-year-old as ridden 1249 winners in Japan including multiple Group 1 races.
Two of them came aboard Mikki Isle, the son of Deep Impact who spent time at Arrowfield Stud in Australia, while he is also a winner of the Japanese Deby, Japanese Oaks and the 2015 autumn Tenno Sho on Lovely Day.
Hamanaka has ridden Golden Snap at 14 of her 16 starts and been aboard for all four of the Gold Ship six-year-old's career wins.
Hamanaka will need to be at his best to get Golden Snap home, set to start from the outside alley in the field of 18, while Pasquier and Presage Nocturne will jump from gate eight.
Andrea Atzeni is the other international rider jetting in for the Caulfield Cup, but the Hong Kong-based Italian has experienced success in Australia, having won last year's Sydney Cup aboard Circle Of Fire and rode in last year's Caulfield Cup, partnering Zardozi into fourth position.
As with all jockeys, career stats for Atzeni, Pasquier and Hamanaka, plus their Caulfield Cup rivals are available via individual profile pages at Racing And Sports.
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