Ballydoyle retained rider Ryan Moore is more than willing to make the sacrifice of 14 days quarantine to take part in the upcoming Irish Champions Weekend, believing the meeting to be the best two days of racing in Europe.
The Englishman has only been racing in the UK since the Covid-19 pandemic emerged but is currently isolating in Tipperary ahead of the showpiece event of the Irish Flat season.
Moore will miss rides such as the St Leger at Doncaster and the Haydock Sprint Cup to make it to the Curragh but the stacked card on 12-13 September features six Group One races, including the €750k Irish Champion Stakes and Irish St Leger.
Fortunately for him, there is no reverse requirement to quarantine upon his return to England.
"Irish Champions weekend is hugely important," Moore told 2fm's Game On.
"It’s a fantastic two days racing. Every race is top-class and very competitive.
"I’ve always been delighted to be coming over for the meetings for the last few years.
"It’s a shame that it clashes with Doncaster, and this year it’s obviously more complicated with the situation we’re all in, but it’s one of those meetings, like Arc day, British Champions day, Breeders Cups, Hong Kongs.
"They’re very important and you want to be a part of them.
"Irish Champions weekend in my eyes is possibly the best two days racing in the whole of Europe, so I definitely want to be a part of it."
Charlie Appleby’s Ghaiyyath has won the Coronation Cup, Coral Eclipse and Juddmonte already this summer and will pose a huge challenge to whichever of Aidan O’Brien’s charges Moore rides here.
At this stage they include Love, Magical and Japan, though Love is expected to divert to the Arc, as Ghaiyyath also might.
"Ghaiyyath has been very impressive this year, he’s three out of three," said Moore.
"He was obviously a good horse last year and would have been their Derby horse a couple of years before that but he’s been very impressive.
"But it’s a horse race and anything can happen as we know.
"I’m sure we’ll have a good team of horses for the whole meeting and hopefully we’ll have a couple that could step forward and put it up to him."
