Perception: it remains one of the most remarkable factors in sport. If your face fits and your reputation is solid, defeats can be overlooked. Find yourself on the other side of the fence, however, and scapegoats are created.
Take the situation with Frankie Dettori and Kieran Shoemark, his successor as stable jockey to John and Thady Gosden. Dettori was reunited with his old boss on Saturday at the Breeders Cup, partnering Emily Upjohn in the Turf while Shoemark remained at home.
Dettori, now based in America, was always going to be a part of Gosden’s Breeders Cup team. When the stable initially had three entries in the Filly and Mare Turf, it looked like the Italian would get the ride on Friendly Soul, as Shoemark would have had difficulty making the light weight on the three-year-old.
But when things changed and Emily Upjohn was rerouted to the Turf over a slightly longer distance, Dettori got the call to ride a filly who has been particularly tricky all season. Shoemark had ridden her six times and came in for ferocious criticism after performances at the Curragh and York.
This has fuelled a constant debate about whether Shoemark will be around long-term at Clarehaven Stables – debate that, quite often, has been very unfair. It got to the point where he made the sensible call to stay off social media.
Kieran Shoemark has been at the centre of debate over his long-term position at Clarehaven
Frankie Dettori may have moved to America but he was back on old partner Emily Upjohn in Del Mar last weekend
John Gosden was disappointed with the horse’s showing on Saturday with Rebel’s Romance the eventual winner in the Breeders’ Cup Turf
Quite how he would have felt on Saturday, as Dettori galloped down to the start on Emily Upjohn, is impossible to say but 10 minutes later it was clear he had got a lucky escape. The filly missed the start of the race and ended up in an awkward position.
Surely Dettori could have done something to salvage the situation? No. He’d given a brilliant ride to Raqiya, a filly trained by Owen Burrows, earlier on the card but this was a nightmare. The pair ended up boxed in, hemmed against the rail, and Emily Upjohn finished the race on the bridle.
Would she have beaten Rebel’s Romance? It’s frustrating that we will never know.
‘Yes,’ John Gosden said to Racing Confidential, ruefully, as he walked back off the track. ‘She had plenty left to give, didn’t she?’
She certainly did but she has been a challenge all summer and Dettori’s struggles showed this to the full. He got more wrong at Del Mar than Shoemark did at any point prior but his reputation and how he is perceived spared him the public flogging.
For the record, John Gosden has great trust in Shoemark and he has been crucial to the development of the yard’s best three-year-olds Lead Artist and Friendly Soul; he also gave the highly promising Military Academy a terrific educational ride at Kempton on Monday.
Give it time and, perhaps, Shoemark will be perceived for what he is: a top-class jockey and a fine horseman. The days of him being a scapegoat must end.
Forest owner’s next big purchase?
During the remarkable Book 1 sale at Tattersalls last month, when Amo Racing made investments worth more than £20million on new stock, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis made a considerable impression with his presence at the sales ring.
Evangelos Marinakis is due to take in another renowned sale after appearing at Tattersalls
Marinakis has been by Kia Joorabchian’s side at plenty of auctions in recent months, including the Goffs London Sale before Royal Ascot in June. He was reluctant to talk at Tattersalls, simply saying he was ‘here to enjoy it’ and didn’t want to go into detail about his passion for horses.
That passion is evidently there, however, as there was talk within well-informed circles at Del Mar last weekend that Marinakis is expected to appear at the renowned Fasig-Tipton Sales in Lexington, Kentucky in the coming days. As he is serving a Premier League stadium ban, he certainly has time.
Welfare facilities not up to snuff
Scratchings were a huge talking point around the Breeders Cup with several fancied runners, most notably Ramatuelle – the French filly who was favourite for the Mile – failing veterinary checks in the build-up to race day.
Every precaution must be taken when dealing with horse welfare but Racing Confidential has learned the areas where checks took place were far from the highest class, enraging connections. Huge amounts of money are invested in this world championship. Facilities need to be out of this world.
No time for City of Troy cynicism
A final word on City of Troy. The willingness of many to leap on Aidan O’Brien’s declaration that the Derby winner was the ‘best horse I trained’ and label it cynical marketing is puzzling. Yes, O’Brien has a job to create stallions for his bosses, Coolmore, but he also loves giving an opinion.
City of Troy faltered in the Breeders’ Cup Classic over the weekend but still retires with a phenomenal legacy
Should he really be pilloried for that? Racing is awash with figures who will talk about ‘taking one race at a time’ and horses ‘being in good form’ but O’Brien put his cards on the table early on and was happy to debate it with anyone.
The outcome was a fantastic narrative through the season, climaxing in the drama of the Breeders Cup Classic. Isn’t it better for someone to say how they feel rather than spouting meaningless platitudes that go in one ear and out the other?
What next for Ambiente Friendly?
James Fanshawe’s year has been full of joy, glossed by Kind of Blue’s thrilling victory in the QIPCO Champions Sprint at Ascot. The year began with hope that the yard might win the Derby with Ambiente Friendly but he had the misfortune to run into a City of Troy-sized obstacle.
Ambiente Friendly failed to follow up his second placed effort at Epsom, in three further runs and it remains to be seen whether he will run for the trainer next year. The Gredley Family, who own the colt, have had offers for him and are debating what to do next.
Can Wootton Bassett match his stable’s old tenant?
On a trip to Coolmore in early spring, a group of us reporters were given a tour of the stallion barns. There was particular fascination when the door of the stable where Sadler’s Wells – who helped shape the modern breed – once resided opened and a shimmering black horse appeared.
French champion Wootton Bassett is the current occupant of a stable once the home of the legendary Sadler’s Wells
A visit to Coolmore for the 14-year-old costs a staggering €300,000 (£232,000) – and he has covered 223 mares this year alone
This was Wootton Bassett and he will be every bit as influential as his illustrious predecessor. To visit him in the next breeding season, it will cost a staggering €300,000 (£232,000) and interest in him from breeders is huge. He covered 223 mares this year. Get your calculator out for how much that will be worth.
High-flying Lake Forest a hit for Seagulls owner Bloom
This column could not pass without mention of a remarkable success for Brighton Chairman Tony Bloom, thanks to a wonderful piece of training and placement by William Haggas.
Lake Forest has been a good horse for Bloom, winning the Gimcrack Stakes at York in 2023, but he hit the jackpot in Melbourne on Saturday, scooping the £5m first prize in the Golden Eagle sprint. Bloom is committed to investing in racing and has his horses with the right man.
