John Gosden likely arrived at the 2,000 Guineas full of hope that this might finally be the year he claimed the one-mile colts Classic for the first time. In the Juddmonte-owned Field Of Gold, he boasted a colt who had shot to the head of the market following a sizzling Craven Stakes success.
In the end, just like his sire Kingman before him, Field Of Gold had to make do with second, with top spot falling to the Charlie Appleby-trained Ruling Court. But did the best horse win the race? Some said yes, others disagreed.
Did Kieran Wait Too Long?
When watching the race back, it is easy to conclude that Field Of Gold was, at least a little, unfortunate not to break Gosden’s 2,000 Guineas duck.
The pivotal moment in the race came approaching the two-furlong pole. At this stage, William Buick began his finishing effort aboard Ruling Court, quickly opening up a two-length gap over Field Of Gold, who Kieran Shoemark continued to hold on to. Shoemark asked his mount for more a few strides later. However, Field Of Gold only really engaged top-gear coming out of the dip, by which stage he had around three lengths to make up on the leader. And he nearly did it too, flying home to go down by just half a length at the line. However, “nearly” doesn’t earn a place in the 2,000 Guineas history books.
This was by no means an awful ride. Shoemark was possibly just a little too confident in his mount’s explosive turn of pace, in addition to being outmanoeuvred by former Gosden number one, Buick, at a crucial stage.
But what did John Gosden make of it all? Whilst watching the race pack, the trainer stated, “William got first run on us”, and that Field Of Gold was “probably a little too far back in the field”. Not a ringing vote of confidence in Shoemark upon first listening, and so it came to pass.
Best Available from Now On
Wednesday brought the announcement from Gosden that “Nothing much is going to change,” a promising opening from Shoemark’s perspective, but this was swiftly followed by, “There is no fallout, but it is the ramifications of what happened over the weekend. We’ll now use the best available.” The implication being that, despite riding the bulk of Gosden’s pattern class horses last season, Shoemark will now not always be deemed the “best available” rider.
Which Riders May Benefit?
Whilst John & Thady Gosden do not have an official retained rider, many of the owners of horses within the yard do. As such, all Godolphin runners will continue to be ridden by William Buick, Jim Crowley remains the man of choice for Shadwell, James Doyle is number one for Wathnan Racing, Hollie Doyle will be in the saddle for Imad Al Sagar, and Oisin Murphy will do the steering for Qatar Racing.
However, that still leaves a healthy percentage of runners where the choice of jockey will lie with the Gosden team, including those sporting the silks of the powerful Juddmonte operation. So, if not Shoemark, who may Gosden call upon? Only Gosden knows the answer, but the following trio may benefit from Shoemark’s slip down the pecking order.
- Robert Havlin – With over 3,000 rides for the Gosden operation, Havlin might be granted a larger share of the high-profile rides. Bagging four Group successes for John & Thady Gosden in 2024, including the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes, won’t hurt his chances
- Benoit de la Sayette – A former apprentice at the Gosden yard, De La Sayette has been used less frequently since riding out his claim in 2023. However, with seven rides for the yard in the last fortnight, including two winners, he may be given his chance on the big stage or, more likely, to step into the Rob Havlin role
- Colin Keane – Back in 2022, Rob Hornby came in for criticism for his ride aboard the Juddmonte-owned Westover in the Derby. Next time out in the Irish Derby, Colin Keane was the man on board. A champion six times in Ireland, Keane is already being mentioned as the likely man in the saddle for Field Of Gold’s next outing in the Irish 2,000 Guineas
But for delaying his effort for a few strides too many, Kieran Shoemark could be heading into the heart of the season as a much-lauded Classic winner. Instead, his opportunities aboard the crème de la crème from the Gosden yard look set to be limited. However, all is not lost for the rider on the big stage, with Shoemark receiving the backing of Charlie Fellowes to ride Shes Perfect in the French 1,000 Guineas this weekend.
