All is forgiven as Gosden and Kirby team up on the all-weather

John Gosden has settled his differences with Adam Kirby nearly two years on from the episode at Royal Ascot following which he slammed the jockey's tactics in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes

All-weather championship leader Kirby has ridden twice for Gosden in the past week, including on Asanta Sana in a 1m4f maiden at Lingfield on Friday.

As stable jockey Frankie Dettori has recently been riding overseas, Kirby has been used as part of a "best available" policy for the yard's recent domestic runners in the wake of the continuing absences of regular riders Nicky Mackay and Robert Havlin.

Back in 2015, Gosden called for stewards to tackle the use of "all-weather winter tactics" and the "unacceptable" riding he believed was employed by Kirby aboard opponent Postponed who finished runner-up to Snow Sky in the Hardwicke.

Gosden's Eagle Top finished third that day but the trainer reckoned Kirby's tactics in the early part of the race cost his runner a higher placing.

Gosden said at the time: "Adam Kirby did not begin to keep his line from the start. He came across and cannoned into us. That's unacceptable race-riding in my opinion.

"I've no problem with him keeping us in down the stretch. That's professional race-riding and jockeyship. I do have a problem with using all-weather winter tactics and intimidating somebody in an attempt to knock them out the way. It's just not on."

Evidently time is a great healer of such matter as, speaking from Dubai, Gosden said: "We've all moved on from that Ascot episode.

"It was a long time ago and it's all forgotten about. As regards jockeys, Frankie Dettori is stable number one and beyond that we will using the best available, which includes Adam Kirby."