Group 1 winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy has picked up the ride on classy New Zealand mare Silent Achiever in the Group 2 $250,000 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.

Kerrin McEvoy will ride Silent Achiever, above, in the Apollo Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.

McEvoy had been the regular rider for the Kris Lees trained Lucia Valentina during the 2014 Spring Carnival but with Hugh Bowman getting the nod for her Autumn Carnival return in the Apollo Stakes, Cambrdige trainer Roger James was happy to snap up the services of McEvoy.

“Kerrin hasn’t ridden her before but I think he will suit her,” James told AAP.

McEvoy combined with Lucia Valentina to win the Group 2 $175,000 Tattersalls Club Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick and the Group 1 $500,000 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington as well as running third to Admire Rakti in the Group 1 $3m Crown Golden Ale Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield during the Spring Carnival.

But he won’t mind partnering Silent Achiever with the classy New Zealand mare winning four times at Group 1 level including a Group 1 Rosehill winning double during the 2014 Sydney Autumn Carnival for Nash Rawiller.

The O’Reilly mare won the $500,000 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and the $1.5m The BMW (2400m) before running fourth to It’s A Dundeel in the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on the second day of ‘The Championships’.

Silent Achiever failed to win a race during the 2014 Melbourne Spring Carnival but produced her best run of that campaign when third to Adelaide and Fawkner in the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley.

James has nominated Silent Achiever for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on April 11 again and is also contemplating a trip to Europe to run in the Group 1 €5m QATAR Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe (2400m) at Longchamp in France in October.

“Sydney comes first and we’ll sit down and talk about Europe later,” James said.

After the Apollo Stakes Silent Achiever is likely to run in the Group 1 $500,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm on February 28 and then try to win back to back Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill on Golden Slipper Day.

The Apollo Stakes has attracted eighteen nominations, including nine from the Chris Waller stable headed by last start Expressway Stakes winner Weary and Epsom Handicap winner He’s Your Man.