Colin Keane: Siskin worth the 14-day quarantine

Siskin with groom Dan MacGrianna after winning the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh last month. Photo: Healy Racing Photo

Colin Keane will ride Siskin in next week’s Qatar Sussex Stakes, with the jockey believing the opportunity is “definitely worth” serving a 14-day quarantine period on his return to Ireland.

Keane, who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas on the Ger Lyons-trained colt, admits the decision to ride at Goodwood could possibly end his bid to regain the champion jockey title he won in 2017, but he is willing to take that chance.

“There are not too many like Siskin that I’ve got to sit on before, so when a horse like that comes around you want to be on him everyday - especially on the big days,” Keane told Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast. 

“It’s definitely worth sacrificing the two weeks. Hopefully there’ll be other championships in the future, but there might not be another Siskin for a very long time, so I want to take every opportunity.

“He’s been great since the Guineas, he looks a million dollars and we couldn’t be happier with him. We’ll keep him wrapped up and it’s about getting him there in one piece.”

Keane and Lyons added to their Classic tally on Saturday when Even So won the Irish Oaks. “It was a brilliant weekend - it’s still surreal, and one we’ll remember for a while I think,” said Keane.

“Anytime I’ve ridden a Group One winner there’s been nobody there, so it’s strange but we’re not going to complain.
There was a lot of pressure for Siskin, but not so much on the filly, so we were just hoping for black type. To go and do what she did was surreal, she was very good.”