Kieren Shoemark

Hi there,

I read today that Free Wind, on whom Kieren Shoemark received criticism in certain quarters for his ride in the Lillie Langtry Stakes at Goodwood, has been retired having injured herself as the stalls open.

Then on Sunday in the Jacques le Marois Inspiral, ridden by Ryan Moore, lost about five lengths – not the eight intimated by her trainer John Gosden – before running third to Charyn.

Shoemark had been beaten twice on the filly before Sunday’s race, in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, where she was drawn widest of all in stall one, and then in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Ascot, where she was again drawn on the outside in stall 10.

Looking back at footage of Inspiral’s 16 starts she has been slowly away, or slow to find her stride, on nine occasions. She is always settled, usually in arrears, because of her tendency to race keenly.

Slow starts have not stopped her winning, most notably in the 2022 Coronation Stakes and last season’s Sun Chariot Stakes, where she won by four and three-quarter lengths and three and three-quarter lengths respectively.

The daughter of Frankel stayed on to finish third on Sunday, beaten three and a quarter lengths by Charyn, and despite having won nine of her 16 starts – six at Grade or Group 1 level – she must now be classified as a tricky ride.

In the circumstances I think it is unfair to be critical of Shoemark’s riding of her, especially in the light of Sunday’s performance under Ryan Moore, while Emily Upjohn, who is again prone to race with the choke out, has been beaten six times since winning last season’s Coronation Cup.

Of course it is frustrating for the owners who have forfeited a covering season and a valuable foal by keeping Free Wind, Inspiral and Emily Upjohn in training but, from what I can see, Shoemark has won at least one race on 19 individual horses from the yard this season and I have not seen any obvious examples of him losing a race he should have won.

Confidence is a vital component in a sportsman’s armoury and Shoemark, who strikes me as quite an introverted character, will probably have given the current situation plenty of thought.

It was always going to be hard to fill the boots of Frankie Dettori, but a high-profile winner could make all the difference and the stable’s classy two-year-olds will soon start to appear.

With three of the yard’s top owners having their own contracted riders, and Robert Havlin riding many of the younger recruits, Shoemark would have known that his appointment as stable jockey was not going to meet the job description in the conventional terms of that role.

Bye for now

Marten