Joseph O'Brien booked to ride royal runner in Ebor

Michael Bell has turned to teenager Joseph O'Brien to partner the Queen's lively Betfred Ebor candidate Tactician in Saturday's feature event on the final day of the York Ebor meeting on August 20.

The 18-year-old son of legendary Ballydoyle handler Aidan O'Brien, Joseph has quickly silenced those who suggested he was only getting rides due to parental support, in demonstrating plenty of ability in the saddle with some fine rides this season, most notably making all the running on Roderic O'Connor to win the Irish 2000 Guineas back in May. The call-up to partner the royal runner on the Knavesmire is further evidence of the growing admiration of professionals in the racing industry on both sides of the Irish Sea that O'Brien is indeed the 'real deal', and being able to claim 3lbs off Tactician's back could well prove the difference between victory and defeat in one of the most hotly contested handicap events anywhere in Europe.

Tactician has a tremendously progressive profile, improving through the handicapping ranks last term and then starting this season with a rock solid effort off a mark of 94 when failing by only half-a-length to land a valuable Newmarket handicap on his first outing of the term in May. Seven weeks later, in the listed John Smith's Silver Cup at York over the Ebor course and distance, the four-year-old Motivator gelding proved too strong for the smart front-runner Fox Hunt, running out a length-and-a-quarter winner and prompting the handicapper to raise his official mark by 6lbs to a career high of 103. Those looking for horseracing tips would have taken note.

Despite the rise in the weights there is little doubt that Tactician (12/1) will line up for the Ebor as a serious contender to give The Queen some compensation for the big race defeat of her star horse Carlton House in both the English and Irish Derby's, and few doubt that Joseph O'Brien will give every assistance from the saddle in a race he would dearly love to win to further raise his profile in Britain and on the international stage.