Jockey Paul Mulrennan has lost his ride on board Mabs Cross in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York's Ebor meeting this week and he has explained his disappointment in not being able to ride the mare in the Group One contest.
The jockey has ridden the Michael Dods trained five year old more times than any other rider through her career riding her 11 times out of 16 runs and he was set to step up and be on board the mare again but was told that the ride will be passed on to Gerald Mosse.
Mosse has only ever joined up with Mabs Cross once and they have a 100% strike rate together when they won the Group One Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp last year at the Arc meeting.
The Nunthorpe left a sour taste in the mouth of connections to the sprinter last year when she was agonisingly touched off in a photo finish by Alpha Delphini and missed out on what would have been her first black type win of her career.
(Credit Racing Post) "It's always been a pleasure to ride her," said Mulrennan.
"She's been working well in the last couple of weeks and I'll obviously be cheering her on if I don't pick up another ride in the race.
"I've had a lot of success for the owners [David and Emma Armstrong] and hopefully will again, but they're entitled to their choice and I'm not the first jockey in the world to lose a big ride.
"I served my time with Mick Easterby and he always said this game can tame lions. It's character-building and all you can do is stay humble, dust yourself off and keep working."
The experienced rider has been in the sport for along time now and in June joined a very prestigious club in racing by landing his 1000th winner of his career when Camacho Chief, for Mabs Cross's trainer Michael Dods, scored at Doncaster at the start of the season.
With this being a unfortunate and delicate moment for Mulrennan, Michael Dods has explained the decision for the jockey switch, he said: "We discussed it with the owners last week and they were keen for Gerald to take the ride. Paul rides a lot of ours and has done well on her, but the owners have one eye on France.
"All being well she will go back for the Abbaye and they would like the jockey who won on her over there to take the ride."
Mabs Cross is a 5/1 chance to land the spoil with the five furlong contest looking as competitive as ever with Charles Hills superstar Battaash and July Cup winner Ten Sovereigns for Aidan O'Brien joining the mare in the field.
Dods added: "She's perhaps gone under the radar a little bit. You have to be impressed with what Battaash has done this season and Aidan O'Brien is bullish on Ten Sovereigns after Newmarket.
"They deserve respect but we feel she's well and has performed at the track before. They're good horses and hopefully we're somewhere near them at the end of the race and put last year's defeat right."