Dubai: Australian big race jockey Craig Williams has been handed the chance to end his long wait for a first Emirates Airline Melbourne Cup (G1) victory after being called up to ride Godolphin’s Cavalryman in next month’s A$6 million (Dh19.33 million) contest.

Williams is nil from 11 rides in the 3,200m race, which takes place at Flemington racecourse in Melbourne on November 4, but should take heart from Cavalryman’s form this season. The eight-year-old has won two of his three starts in the UK, including two Group 2 races — the mile-and-a-half Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the two-mile Goodwood Cup.

On his most recent start in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup (2.5 miles) at York in August, Cavalryman finished fourth behind the Dermot Weld-trained Pale Mimosa. Cavalryman was 12th in the 2012 Melbourne Cup, which was won by Green Moon (Brett Prebble).

Williams, who has tasted success in some of Australia’s biggest races including the Cox Plate (Pinker Pinker 2011), Caulfield Cup (Dunaden 2012 and Southern Speed 2001) and the Golden Slipper (Miss Finland 2006), has been in the form of his life in posting 10 Group wins this season, including the prestigious Australian Guineas (G1) with Shamus Award and Ryder Stakes (G1) with Gordon Lord Byron.

The 37-year-old rider is a late replacement following the suspension of British jockey James Doyle, who fell foul of the Ascot Stewards at the British Champions meeting.

Doyle was originally booked to partner Cavalryman’s stablemate Willing Foe, but his suspension has resulted in trainer Saeed Bin Surour switching New Zealand rider James McDonald from Cavalryman to Willing Foe.

Bin Surour acknowledges that Cavalryman will have to deliver the performance of a lifetime to win the Melbourne Cup but has said that the son of Halling deserves his shot at glory.

“He seems to be in the best form of his life. He’s never been better,” Bin Surour confirmed. “I think two miles is the best trip for him and the ground at Flemington should not be a problem.

“We’ve been placed three times in the Melbourne Cup and we will be taking some tough horses, like the Japanese horse [Admire Rakti], but we’re happy to take our chances.

“The Melbourne Cup is a different race now. It may be a handicap, but it’s more like a Group 1. It is a very tough race, so your horse has to be in the best form to make an impact.”