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Stranger things have happened, but three Derby rides so far for a 50 year old doesn’t seem too much experience to me.
Times have changed, perhaps the ‘gentlemen agreement’ has become outdated.Just read this have have some sympathy for Callum and I’m sure Havlin isn’t overly satisfied with the situation. I’m sure it helped he won a Group 1 Saturday but this sort of thing leaves a bad taste. Let’s face it if Havlin is the better choice due to his experience and with no disrespect to him why isn’t he No1 at the Gosden’s.
The things I want most in life are the things that I can't win.
Riders get jocked off all the time, so I find it difficult to get upset when it happens. But this does seem to be an odd decision. Shepherd has a much better recent record around Epsom than Havlin.
I could understand it more if he had been jocked off in favour of the likes of a top, multiple Group 1 winning jockey but to lose the ride to the perennial understudy at the Gosden stable does seem unfortunate. Why does Gredley bother to retain a jockey if he does not want to use him in a big race?
It is tough for Shepherd but there is no point complaining. It would only make the situation worse for him.
Strange decision indeed. No 50 year old has won the derby in recent history as far as I can see. Mick Kinane was a fortnight shy of his fiftieth on Sea the Stars in 2009.
Getting locked off for dettori, buick or moore you can probably take on the chin
Get jocked off for a very average jockey like Rab Havlin must be extremely extremely annoying
Makes you wonder if he hadn’t won the Lockinge this would have actually happened.
The things I want most in life are the things that I can't win.
Havlin has ridden a few winners for Gredley, so it might have happened even without the Lockinge.
“Strange decision indeed. No 50 year old has won the derby in recent history as far as I can see. Mick Kinane was a fortnight shy of his fiftieth on Sea the Stars in 2009.”
Neither has a 26 year old, so one all on that score.
Willie Carson was the last 50 year old plus to win the race but I suppose they are only a tiny percentage of riders in the race over 50.
Tom Marquand could be available if Economics doesn’t run and he’s ridden the horse twice.
He who pays the piper calls the tune.You could be right. Before Carson, Scobie in the 60’s did it twice and in the 50’s Charlie Smirke and Rae Johnstone .
Even Sir Gordon didn’t manage it although he retired aged 50.When Smirke won his fourth Derby in 1958, it was one of only three winners he rode all season!
He had a remarkable career and ought to be better remembered.
I guess having 3 previous Derby rides (with 7th being the closest fininshing position achieved) is technically having ‘more experience’ than having no Derby rides but this one is a little bit of a head scratcher as I would place having ridden the horse in his last two races as a more desirable trait than that of having 3 rides more in the Derby….. Now if it had been a jockey that had won the Derby a few times or someone that had 15 or more rides in the race then they have a firmer base to stand on to defend this decision.
Also Shepherd is in 8th place in the jockeys title (37 wins) with Havlin in 12th (33 wins) so we are not exactly talking about an inexperienced wet behind the ears jockey being replaced here. You also couldn’t fault the ride he gave the horse in the Derby trial at Lingfield, a track that has a very similar course topography to Epsom.
Again owners fully within their rights to do as they have but it is weak reasoning at best and maybe a flavour of the month thing with Rab having just won the Lockinge…….would be interesting to know from the owners (hand on their heart) would they made the same decision had he not just won that race.
Pleased for Rab to get this high profile chance but the circumstances are not a great optic and he pretty much now has to win on him to justfy the switch……and lets suppose he does win, even then there will be many that would argue that Shepherd would have been just as capable of winning on him too.
I don’t know if it is true but it has been suggested elsewhere that the Gredleys were not satisfied with the ride Shepherd gave Too Friendly at Newmarket on Saturday. They made up their minds then to replace him on Ambiente Friendly.
Could be something in that Cork. Too Friendly has been smashed in the betting on his last two starts so Shepherd may have cost somebody more than just prize money, appreciate De Sousa was on board in the Chester Cup, which was a baffling gamble into near favouritism
In the wrong business if one (seemingly to them) bad ride has ‘allegedly’ caused this type of reaction.
The best in all sports are those that make the fewest mistakes rather than no mistakes.
“I don’t know if it is true but it has been suggested elsewhere that the Gredleys were not satisfied with the ride Shepherd gave Too Friendly at Newmarket on Saturday. They made up their minds then to replace him on Ambiente Friendly”
Seems a bit harsh if true
I had a big 4pt bet on too friendly at 4/1
And although he did get stuck in a pocket he did produce the horse to win but the Johnston horse just kept finding and seemed to be pulling away at the line
So even had he got out earlier I doubt he’d have won
They must’ve had a large bet on the horse as he was backed into fav (he was also the plunge horse in the chester cup)
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