Champion Sydney hoop Corey Brown will ride Shoot Out in the 2010 Cox Plate this Saturday named as the replacement jockey for the Queensland galloper after the shock death of Stathi Katsidis yesterday.

Brown is set to dedicate his ride aboard the John Wallace-trained Shoot Out in the $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday to Katsidis, one of Australia’s great jockeys and a personal friend to Brown.

The call was made to Brown, winner of last year’s Melbourne Cup aboard Shocking, yesterday to take the mount on Shoot Out and he accepted with honour.

The body of 31-year-old Katsidis was found by his fiancé at their Brisbane home early yesterday morning, the shock discovery putting the racing world in mourning.

Brown is now booked to ride Shoot Out in both the Cox Plate this weekend and in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) Saturday week on Victoria Derby Day at Flemington.

If Shoot Out goes on to gain a spot in the 24-horse Melbourne Cup field on November 2, Brown will also have first refusal for the ride.

High Chaparral four-year-old Shoot Out is the current third favourite to win the 2010 Cox Plate following reigning champion So You Think and Gai Waterhouse’s star mare More Joyous in the odds at [sportsbet], and is paying $31 to win the 2010 Melbourne Cup.