Who's in the saddle? How owners are calling the shots more than ever when it comes to jockey bookings

When John and Thady Gosden saddle Ombudsman for Saturday’s Coral-Eclipse, they will have had no say in the identity of the jockey who rides the horse.

Of course, the Gosdens will be only too happy to have the brilliant William Buick in their corner, but it’s an interesting point considering the amount of attention that was given to Kieran Shoemark losing his position as the Gosdens’ number one earlier this year.

It’s also something that crossed my mind at Royal Ascot. The Gosdens had a brilliant meeting, with five winners giving them the top trainer honours. Shoemark also had a good week with two winners – and, despite the success of his former employers, it was probably a better week than he would have had if he had still been in the Gosden role.