'We have no intention of having a retained jockey' - John Gosden plays down Kieran Shoemark rumours after Soul Sister booking

Kieran Shoemark is to take his highest-profile ride for John and Thady Gosden on Oaks winner Soul Sister in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp on Friday, but John Gosden has dampened rumours about Shoemark taking on the role of retained rider for the Clarehaven team in 2024.

Group 1-winning rider Shoemark rode out the Classic heroine on Warren Hill in Newmarket on Tuesday morning and gets the call-up for Paris in the absence of the suspended Frankie Dettori and with similar bans ruling out top French-based jockeys Christophe Soumillon and Mickael Barzalona.

The Lady Bamford-owned daughter of Frankel has been ridden by Dettori on all three of her starts this season, including when beating Savethelastdance by a length and three-quarters at Epsom last month.

Shoemark, 27, has ridden four winners from 21 rides for the Newmarket stable this year and showed he was up to the big occasion when landing his first Group 1 win on Lady Bowthorpe in the Nassau Stakes in 2021.

Kieran Shoemark: will have a great chance to win his fourth group 1Credit: Warren Little

Crucially, he also has winning experience at the highest level around Longchamp having ridden Dreamloper to two Group 1 wins in 2022, including the Prix du Moulin.

Speculation has arisen in recent weeks about the riding arrangements for the yard in 2024 with Dettori set to retire at the end of the year.

John Gosden said: "Kieran has ridden a few for us and he knows Longchamp well, it’s as simple as that. He’s ridden Soul Sister in work, which is something we needed to get in place as soon as we knew Frankie was unable to be there in Paris on Friday."

As for the bigger picture and rumours around Shoemark, the joint-trainer said: "It’s pure conjecture, we have no retained jockeys here and have no intention of doing so.

"Someone asked me the other day if I would be retaining a jockey next year but I haven’t retained a jockey since William Buick left to go to Godolphin and before that Frankie in the 1990s. Retained jockeys are out of fashion right now. That’s for an owner, not a trainer."

Shoemark will have a fine chance of adding a fourth Group 1 win to his CV on Soul Sister, who is the only British-trained three-year-old of the eight in contention for the Grand Prix de Paris after Tuesday's confirmation stage.

John Gosden: "The timing of this race fits well if we then wish to run her in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood"Credit: Edward Whitaker

On the decision to supplement Soul Sister at a cost of €15,000, Gosden said: "Soul Sister has had a nice break since the Oaks and we are keen to let her run at Longchamp on Friday in the Grand Prix de Paris. The timing of the race fits well if we then wish to run her in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood."

Success for Soul Sister would be a first in the race for Gosden, whereas Andre Fabre, who runs First Minister after he landed the Group 3 Prix Hocquart at the track last time, is aiming for a record-extending 14th win in the race.

Aidan O'Brien's Adelaide River, second to Auguste Rodin in the Irish Derby, remains in contention along with stablemate Peking Opera, who was fourth in the same race at the Curragh last time.

Grand Prix de Paris confirmations

Feed The Flame
Rubis Vendome
Winter Pudding
Adelaide River
Peking Opera
First Minister
Silawi
Soul Sister

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