Last year's Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Corey Brown has been asked to ride the AJC Derby winner Shoot Out in Saturday's multi-million dollar Cox Plate in Melbourne, following the shock death of the horse's regular pilot, Stathi Katsidis.
Australian racing is in shock following the death on Tuesday of the champion Queensland jockey, whose body was found in his Brisbane apartment.
The 31-year-old Katsidis won three Brisbane premierships, and he'd been enjoying his best year with a string of big race wins including the Gold Coast Magic Millions, the Randwick Guineas and the AJC Derby in Sydney.
Katsidis was due to be reunited with Shoot Out in Saturday's weight-for-age championship Cox Plate, as well as next month's Melbourne Cup.
The popular Queenslander had struggled in the past with drug and alcohol addictions.
