Kronus will have a new jockey, Shane Ellis, in the saddle for the 89th running of the 10-furlong Jamaica St Leger sponsored by IPS Finance Service Limited on Saturday at Caymanas Park, according to trainer Richard Azan.

Ellis replaces Richard Mairs who won aboard Kronus in the Lotto Classic for the Governor’s Cup. Mairs also guided Kronus to a third-place finish in the Cal’s Jamaica Derby three weeks ago.

After his dramatic victory in the Governor’s Cup over Seeking My Dream going 2,000 metres, Kronus could not repeat in the 2,400-metre Derby when finishing 11 lengths behind Seeking My Dream and Ali Baba, leaving Azan wondering on what went wrong.

“He (Kronus) performed reasonably well in the Derby going over 12 furlongs, but I think the jockey (Richard Mairs) kept him too far back in the race and gave him too much work to do, which proved to be detrimental for him at the end,” Azan told the Complete Racing Guide.

“Kronus will have a different jockey; he will be ridden by Shane Ellis in the St Leger, and let’s see how he performs there,” he added.

With Ellis aboard, Azan believes that the dynamics going into the St Leger have significantly changed, which augurs well for his charge.

“The race will be very competitive but I know Kronus will be in the mix at the end. Ellis is a very good rider and I expect Kronus to give a stellar performance,” Azan stressed. Ellis provided ample proof of his ability with an excellent ride on the Azan-trained Franfield on Sunday’s racing card.

As to the preparation of Kronus for the St Leger, Azan says his charge is going good and is well prepared.

“Kronus is training ok; we have been preparing him well for the St Leger on Saturday. He is healthy; however we have some catching up to do as the Wayne DaCosta pair of Seeking My Dream and Ali Baba beat him in the Derby, so we have to work him and get him really fit for that race. It will be difficult to beat those two based on the Derby run but we are going to give a try,” reasoned Azan.