Eddery touts Holland for Stoute job
Pat Eddery has put up the name of Darryll Holland as a contender to take over the job as retained jockey to Michael Stoute.
The position at Freemason Lodge is vacant after Kieren Fallon decided to end his five-year association with Stoute and become number one jockey at Ballydoyle.
Johnny Murtagh is the 4-5 favourite to land the job while Ryan Moore is next best on 2-1.
Eleven-times British champion Eddery believes Holland has sound claims for the position and is surprised that the rider is as long as 6-1.
He told At The Races: “Nobody seems to have mentioned Darryll Holland. I thought somebody would, but it doesn’t seem to have come up. I would like to think he has a good chance of getting it.”
Eddery was stable rider at Ballydoyle in the early 1980s when Vincent O’Brien was the resident trainer, and he partnered such horses as Golden Fleece, El Gran Senor and Sadler’s Wells.
He was not too surprised to hear that Fallon had decided to team up with current trainer Aidan O’Brien as he believes the less hectic Irish programme will have been a big draw.
Eddery explained: “In England he is travelling up and down the country, doing two meetings. He’s gone for the easier route.
“He won’t have to do so much this year, and he’s getting a good retainer as well. Those things will have made him go to Ireland.”
Fallon succeeds Jamie Spencer, who decided to quit the Ballydoyle job earlier this month.
Spencer faced intense pressure of expectation, but Eddery has no doubt Fallon is equipped to deal with that.
“I don’t think there’s that much pressure on him. He’s a world-class jockey and he knows what to do, so I’m pretty certain he will cope with the job, no problem,” he added.
