Ryan Moore to partner Rip Van Winkle in the Sussex Stakes

Ryan Moore, the champion jockey, will replace the suspended Johnny Murtagh aboard Rip Van Winkle in the Group One Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday. Moore got the call to ride last year's winner after his expected mount in the race, Dick Turpin, was ruled out by Richard Hannon. Moore is an unusual big-race booking for Ballydoyle, as he is frequently required to ride for Sir Michael Stoute in Group One events, but he does have a previous success for O'Brien at the highest level, having ridden Beethoven, a 33-1 chance, to victory in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last October. Beethoven is also in Wednesday's field. Canford Cliffs, the St James's Palace Stakes winner, is likely to start favourite at odds-on, with Rip Van Winkle next in the betting. Moore, who saw Olivier Peslier take the King George on Stoute's Harbinger last Saturday as he finished only fifth on Workforce, received official confirmation that Harbinger is likely to be the top-rated horse in the field if he lines up in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October. Harbinger is now the top-rated horse in world racing, with an official mark raised from 123 to 135 after his 11-length win at Ascot. "You've got to be very impressed. He looked an improving colt before the race," Phil Smith, the British Horseracing Authority's head of handicapping, said yesterday. "All his performances this year were very progressive and I expected him to a run a big race. I didn't think he'd win and I certainly didn't think he'd win like that. "We looked at the second horse, Cape Blanco, and imagined what if Harbinger had not been in the race. Cape Blanco was 119 going into the race and so we took the view that Cape Blanco had replicated his 119. "We therefore just had to decide what we called the 11 lengths. We took the view that was worth 16lb which would be pretty much the norm and brings Harbinger out on 135. "It was very impressive. Instantly we've got Harbinger 1lb below Sea The Stars end of season performance (in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe). "Harbinger has still got one, two or possibly three more races to come, so we will see how the King George works out, see how Harbinger runs in his subsequent races. It may well be we have him as high or higher than Sea The Stars." Mark Johnston, the trainer of St Moritz, said yesterday that the Bunbury Cup winner is not a certain starter in the totesport Mile at Goodwood on Friday.