Kieran Shoemark

Kieran Shoemark rides Charlie Fellowes' Classic hopes in France

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Thu May 08, 2025 · 7M ago

Kieran Shoemark will ride Charlie Fellowes' French Classic hopes at ParisLongchamp this weekend.

Just a day after it was revealed Shoemark would no longer be acting as number one jockey for John and Thady Gosden, it became evident that he was still in high demand from another Newmarket handler in Fellowes, for whom Shoemark has ridden more than 30 UK winners in the past.

They are set to team up again across the Channel on Sunday courtesy of Luther in the Emirates Poule d'Essai Poulains and Shes Perfect in the fillies' equivalent - the Emirates Poule d'Essai Des Pouliches.

Speaking on Thursday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Fellowes said: "Kieran and I go a long way back. He is a top man, a lovely guy and a very, very, very good jockey.

"And although the Gosden job hasn't worked out, I have absolutely no doubt he will be right at the top of this game at some point in the non-too-distance future."

As for riding plans this weekend and getting Shoemark back on the two three-year-olds at such late notice, he said: "Kieran has ridden both of these horses multiple times, especially Shes Perfect, and when I spoke to both jockeys that were going to be riding the two of them I said they are Kieran's rides and if Kieran is ever available then he will be back on them, but I'd love you to deputise in the meantime.

"So they kind of knew, I don't think either of them thought it was going to happen as quickly as it has - in fact they definitely didn't.

"To be honest, Jim (Crowley, ride Luther at Chelmsford last month) has been a star and put in a lot of work in the background, he's ridden Luther in most of his work since Chelmsford so I felt a huge amount more guilty jocking Jim off than I did Rossa (Ryan), who is a brilliant jockey and came and rode Shes Perfect the other day but has literally been and ridden her one piece of work and that's it.

"But I was very open and up front with both jockeys before they accepted the rides."

Luther is one of 18 colts declared for the Poulains, a field which also includes Hotazhell (Jessica Harrington), Henri Matisse, Serengeti and Camille Pissarro (all Aidan O'Brien), plus the Gosden-trained Detain who is now the mount of Colin Keane.

Fellowes remarked: "I'm really looking forward to it. There's 18 runners in the colts' race and I don't think anyone thought Aidan was going to declare three colts and four fillies in the fillies' race, so the fields are a bit bigger than I was expecting them to be.

"But they (Luther and Shes Perfect) are both incredibly uncomplicated horses, they have both - touch wood - had crystal-clear preparations since their seasonal debuts and I couldn't be happier with how I'm sending them over there."

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