Kieran Shoemark excited for Dancing Gemini ride in the Queen Anne - but it was 'a tough decision' for Roger Teal

Kieran Shoemark was "very excited" to be handed back the ride on Dancing Gemini and is hopeful about his chance in the Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday.

He got the mount narrowly ahead of Rossa Ryan, after prolonged discussion between trainer Roger Teal and owner David Fish.

• Confirmed runners and riders for the Queen Anne, St James's Palace and King Charles III Stakes on day one of Royal Ascot 

Shoemark won the Listed Doncaster Mile on Dancing Gemini in March but was committed to riding Lead Artist for John and Thady Gosden in the bet365 Mile at Sandown, where Ryan took over and partnered him to Group 2 success.

Ryan Moore was on board when the four-year-old was beaten a neck in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month, but is unavailable this time as he rides Diego Velazquez for Aidan O'Brien, which left Teal and Fish in a dilemma over which jockey to choose.

"He ran a huge race in the Lockinge," Shoemark said after getting the nod. "I know the horse very well and it's very exciting. 

"I know the family, I've ridden him a couple of times and I've been in to sit on him in the mornings. I'm looking forward to it."

Dancing Gemini won the bet365 Mile under Rossa RyanCredit: Edward Whitaker

Dancing Gemini is 9-2 second favourite for the Queen Anne with Paddy Power, behind Lockinge third Rosallion (11-4), who is a three-time Group 1 winner.

Shoemark said: "It's a great renewal, with Lead Artist and Rosallion and others, a really competitive race, so you can't be confident but I'm hopeful. He's done very little wrong this year and he's improved with each run."

Teal admitted it had been a hard choice and said: "I wouldn't like to say how many conversations we've had over the last week. It was a tough decision, Rossa is very good – they're both very talented."

Explaining the final decision to choose Shoemark, who lost his job as number-one rider for the Gosdens last month, the trainer said: "We started the season with Kieran, he was going to be his ride. Then he had the Gosden job when we ran at Sandown, so Rossa stepped in there.

"Now things have changed for Kieran and we've gone back to the original plan. He knows the horse, he's been in and sat on him several times. He rode him in work before he won on him at Doncaster. He won on Dancing Gemini's mother as well.

"So there are several factors and we want to try to keep consistency, and felt this was the best way to play it."

Roger Teal: "There are several factors and we want to try to keep consistency"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Dancing Gemini will face ten rivals on Tuesday as all the horses left in at the confirmation stage were declared for the Group 1 Queen Anne on Sunday.

Teal is fresh from big-race success with Hucklesbrook, who landed the £125,000 Macmillan Sprint Handicap at York on Saturday.

"He's quite exciting," said the trainer. "It was a good performance. I haven't had a good look, but there's another valuable handicap on the July course at Newmarket which is a possibility for him."

Queen Anne Stakes (2.30 Royal Ascot, Tuesday)

Cairo Silvestre de Sousa
Carl Spackler James McDonald
Dancing Gemini Kieran Shoemark
Diego Velazquez tbc
Docklands Mark Zahra
Lake Forest Tom Marquand
Lead Artist Colin Keane
Notable Speech William Buick
Quddwah Callum Shepherd
Rosallion Sean Levey
Sardinian Warrior Christophe Soumillon

Queen Anne Stakes (2.30 Royal Ascot, Tuesday)
Paddy Power: 11-4 Rosallion, 9-2 Dancing Gemini, Lead Artist, 5 Notable Speech, 7 Sardinian Warrior, 14 Diego Velazquez, 16 Carl Spackler, Lake Forest, 20 Quddwah, 33 Docklands, 100 Cairo. 

Now read these...

'We didn't know if he could get the horse here' - Hucklesbrook survives travel chaos to land feature 

'He's definitely at that Group 1 level' - Roger Teal ready for Lockinge rematch in Royal Ascot cracker 

'When he gave him a little squeeze he really exploded' - former US ace lights up July course before Queen Anne bid 

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