Fitzgerald lands star ride

Mick Fitzgerald will be aiming to get one over on his boss Nicky Henderson in The Ladbroke at Ascot on Saturday after he picked up the plum spare ride on Tipperary All Star.

The rider has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with Henderson down the years, which has entered the final stages following Fitzgerald’s announcement of his retirement at the end of this season.

Henderson saddles the sponsors 7-2 ante-post favourite Tarlac for JP McManus, who will be ridden by the owners retained jockey Tony McCoy in Saturday’s showpiece race.

As a result, Fitzgerald has picked up the next best available according to the betting, Michael Halford’s 6-1 chance Tipperary All Star.

“All’s fair in loving and racing,” said Fitzgerald. “Tarlac won a race at Ascot last time out where they all went way too fast.

“That day the ground was quite soft, which he doesn’t mind, and the others cut their own throats and he came through and won, but I think an awful lot of people got carried away with Tarlac that day,” Fitzgerald told the Racing Post.

“He’s a young, inexperienced horse, and he’s obviously getting better and stronger, but he has obviously gone up a little bit in the weights and he’s a short-priced favourite for what is normally a very competitive race.”

Of his own mount, Fitzgerald admits that he will have had to improve again following a recent Cheltenham romp.

“He has gone up 24lb for his last win,” said Fitzgerald, “which is a fair hike, and for a race like the Ladbroke I’m sure his connections would prefer he had 12lb less on his back and then I think he would have an outstanding chance.

“However, Mick Halford is an outstanding trainer, he knows the time of day, and he would not be running this horse if he didn’t think he had a chance.”