Tattersalls Gold Cup under the Pattern spotlight

Seven Group One races have been identified as being at risk of losing their Group One status next year.

The mile-and-a-quarter Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh in late May has been the starting point in a campaign for many a superstar but is one of the races named at risk by the European Pattern Committee.

It has been won by such stars of the turf as Daylami in 1998, Montjeu (2000), Fantastic Light (2001) and Hurricane Run (2006) and in more recent times by So You Think in 2011 and 2012 and Al Kazeem, who upset Camelot in 2013.

However, the race tends to attract just a handful of runners and Noble Mission beat just four rivals when successful last season.

One of the other races that could be downgraded in 2016 is the Prix Royal-Oak. Run over just short of two miles at Longchamp in late October, the stamina test has been a favourite target for British stayers and has been won for the last two years by the Marco Botti-trained Tac De Boistron. Its biggest winner in recent seasons was the Aidan O’Brien-trained Yeats in 2008, hero of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot four years in a row from 2006 to 2009.

Meanwhile Freddie Tylicki is chomping at the bit to get back in the saddle after nearly 11 weeks on the sidelines when he returns at Kempton on Wednesday.

The Flat jockey has been out of action since breaking his nose in a shocking five-horse pile-up at Wolverhampton in early November, in which Paul Hanagan and Richard Kingscote were also hurt.

The injury required surgery which has kept Tylicki off the track for this long. However, he is now fully recovered and has been riding out for the last fortnight. He returns with rides on Primrose Valley for Ed Vaughan in a six-furlong handicap for three-year-olds and on the Roger Varian-trained Keeper’s Ring in division two of the mile handicap.

“I’m back in action on Wednesday and looking forward to it,” he said.

“In the pile-up at Wolverhampton I broke my nose and I had some more problems with. It needed an operation and that’s what has kept me back for so long. I started riding out a couple of weeks ago for lots of people like Roger Varian, Charlie Fellowes and Ed Vaughan. I’m really looking forward to 2015.

“There’s no change of plan as such this year. I’ve still got the same contacts I did last year. Obviously I’m still a freelance jockey and will try to get as many people on board as I can and ride as many winners as I can.”