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What’s to stop those decision makers at Ballydoyle to arrange a new jockey before releasing to the media and smashing the bookies to cover contract costs?
The fact that specials markets are heavily restricted for a start. I remember Paddy Power restricting me to about £20 when attempting to place a bet on the gender of Lady Ga Ga.
Pat Smullen, John Magners son-in-law, will be the next stable jockey at Ballydoyle, with Murtagh joining forces with Ger Lyons. My call.
Pat Smullen for me.
I can see someone like Eddie Ahern becoming Weld’s Stable Jockey. I noticed how he come’s over and back to Ireland some race days and rides for Weld. Question is would he uplift the clan.
Souillmon would be a great addition Irish Racing. He be a great jockey for them. Still can’t forget his ride on Hurricane Run in the King George…was immense
The fact that specials markets are heavily restricted for a start. I remember Paddy Power restricting me to about £20 when attempting to place a bet on the gender of Lady Ga Ga.
What was the result? Did you win?
The fact Murtagh had to get his agent to announce the split and also said he wont comment further on the matters imo means there was a massive falling out between the 2.
The job is Pat’s if he wants it. DK has lined Gary Carroll up to replace him at Rosewell.
Joseph O’Brien receiving rides ahead of Johnny has very little to do with this announcement today. The ‘falling out’ occurred a long time before that trend started and there are several ‘issues’ involved.
I cant see why Murtagh would be annoyed at not riding rags for Ballydoyle. Young O Brien got a few maiden winners okay but that is going to dent Murtagh’s pride i doubt.
Their has to more to it and i suspect its more to do with AOB idea of riding that Murtagh’s. Johnny has never been so poor on 2yr olds this year(giving them no chance out the back)…and geting to work when the race is over. I would imagine Murtagh doesn’t want to school horses on the race track like AOB does
That was how the Kinane split started.Being asked to ride the non triers.I well remember the quote from a certain jockey when asked to stop a horse. "Too late" he said to the trainer, "you should have told me that before I agreed to ride him" Incidentally I don’t believe there is any relationship betweeem Smullen and Magnier.He is a brother-in-law to Aidan’s wife.
Whoever gets it will be spending a lot of time in County Tipperary and riding round the gaff’s more than they’d like to I’d imagine. Would that would rule out the likes of Moore and Soumillion straight away?
What about the big man from County Clare? Granted he wasn’t too impressed with the Irish gaff’s either last time around but stranger things have happened….
I believe that Pat Smullen rode Refuse to Bend to win the Guineas.I just don’t know if he has the big race experience. I know he rode a brilliant race here at Santa Anita or Hollywood Park a couple of years ago for Dermot.Since Soumillion likes to ride during the winter in the Far East he might consider the job.France has more good jockeys than I can name.Many of those named are simply out of their league including the trainer’s young son.As of now Ballydoyle seems the place to end your career not to start it.
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Thing about Smullen is he’s very good on the horses he knows and a big operation like Ballydoyle would suit him down to the ground given the vast amount of talent at his disposal.
The only slight question mark is you put him on something overseas where the territory, competition and racing is different his talents are a little subdued compared to his counterparts and that’s a problem with Ballydoyle because you’ll be travelling all over the world where his consistency would have to be at a premium.
Soumillon and AOB will soon fall out if that marriage came in to being. Smullen must be favourite, just hope it will not spoil the family relationship.
Any chance Fallon could be a stop gap?Value Is EverythingSoumillon is a terrific jockey and I think he would jump at the opportunity to be honest. But I doubt O’Brien would go for a character like him.
The Coolmore/Ballydoyle owners have identified in the past that they need a jockey who: is tactically clever, doesn’t panic, gets horses running for him, is strong in a finish, is a great judge of pace, gives good feedback after a ride, hardly ever loses a race he should win, is very experienced in Group 1 races, etc, etc, etc.
When they find the closest to what the want they hire him. Then something, we know not what, happens and they lose him. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde: to lose one top jockey may be regarded as a misfortune, to lose several looks like carelessness.
So, either their selection criteria are not good enough, or the way they fit this essential cog into their machine is inefficient. Which will they change? The most likely is that they will not change anything; they will hire another top class jockey who will leave just as he is about to bring maximum benefit to the Coolmore system.
Of the top European jockeys with widespread Group 1 success, Soumillon has signed a contract to ride for the Wildenstein family in France in 2011, while Dettori, Lemaire and Moore won’t move from their current jobs. But Olivier Peslier is good enough and smart enough and just the right age to suit the Coolmore profile, to put in a couple of years and then leave. If they want to be bolder, they could always try for a top Australian, they certainly have enough contacts there, and history has seen lots of top class Aussies riding in Europe.
Didn’t Soumillion ride the King George winner for Coolmore a few years ago? How often has he ridden for them since?
Does anyone have an idea what Jonnny Murtagh’s plans are? If he stays in Ireland and should Ballydoyle sign a non-Irish based jockey it’s going to give young jockey’s even less chance to pick up good rides.
Regarding his replacement Pat Smullen wouldn’t be bad from them. Look at his ride in the Irish 1,000 Guineas (possibly the race that started the discontent between the two sides as Lille Langtry was probably the best horse that day??). He’s not a flair jockey but seems to constantly get winners. The negative would be is how well does he understand all the big race courses.
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