Hollie Doyle offers up services for Melbourne Cup hope Soulcombe

Hollie Doyle has thrown her hat in the ring for the ride on Chris Waller’s Soulcombe in the Melbourne Cup.

The jockey partnered the gelding on his final start for former trainer William Haggas, with the duo winning the Melrose Handicap at York’s Ebor meeting last year.

Soulcombe then changed hands and is now trained in Australia for a group of owners that includes Ozzie Kheir, who Doyle has reached out to in order to put herself forward for the Melbourne Cup opportunity.

Since leaving England Soulcombe has gained valuable experience of the track at Flemington, winning the Group Three Queen’s Cup on debut for his new connections and then finishing second in the Listed Lexus Roy Higgins in March.

More recently the bay was a winner at Caulfield, landing the Listed Heatherlie Stakes on Saturday.

Doyle told racing.com: “I won the Melrose on him when he was trained by William Haggas, so I do know the horse.

“I don’t have high expectations to get the ride but if you don’t ask, you don’t get I suppose.

“Obviously, he won at the weekend, and it was just an idea, an ambitious one, but who knows?

“To just get a ride in the Melbourne Cup would be great let alone on a chance with a horse like Soulcombe.

“We’ve got a few people trying to help out, but I do know how hard it is to get rides at that (Cup) meeting, so I’m just hoping.”