Barry Geraghty © Photo Healy Racing
Barry Geraghty has opted to stay at home and ride at Navan on Saturday.
As retained rider to owner JP McManus, Geraghty could have been in the plate on Crossed My Mind in the valuable Ascot Spring Garden Show Holloway's Handicap Hurdle, for which the Arthur Moore-trained runner is a leading contender.
However, a low weight meant it would be a push and Jonjo O'Neill junior gets the chance to shine in his place.
Geraghty said in his blog for At The Races: "I probably would be at Ascot on Saturday to ride Crossed My Mind in the Holloway's Handicap Hurdle if he had a little more weight to carry. The weights went up a little with the three top weights coming out, but he has been left on 10st 3lb, which is just lighter than I can do.
"It is a competitive race, but he has a chance. He ran well the last day at Sandown to finish third in a similar race over two miles. He is 1lb higher now, but Arthur is happy with him and hopefully he can improve from his last run.
"Jonjo O'Neill rides him, he takes off 7lb. Jonjo is a good young rider. I have been watching him and he's very tidy, he rides a nice race. He's a chip off the old block!"
Geraghty's mounts at Navan are Spades And Trumps (12.25), Play With The Wind (1.00) and Mon Lino (1.35).
He said of the Joseph O'Brien-trained Play The Wind: "I don't know an awful lot about him, he has never run, but he is by Flemensfirth and he is out of a full-sister to Oscar Time, who won a Paddy Power Chase and a Becher Chase and finished second in the Grand National.
"Joseph is happy with him and it will be interesting to see how he goes."
