Kieran Shoemark not feeling under pressure in new role
Kieran Shoemark insists he isn't feeling under pressure in his first year as stable jockey to John and Thady Gosden.
Replacing Frankie Dettori was always going to be a tall order and so far there's been a lack of big-race success for the Clarehaven team at the major meetings.
However John Gosden told the Racing Post before Royal Ascot: "The truth is that our two-year-olds last year were not what the owners of them nor us would have liked. They were a modest group and are not about to sprout wings this year.
"I would say our three-year-old crop is a little bit on the weak side this year. We're waiting for some of the good older ones to come through during the rest of the season.“
The yard did have two winners at the big meeting last week but Israr and Running Lion were partnered by jockeys retained by their respective owners and after riding a double for the yard at Salisbury on Wednesday, Shoemark told Racing TV: “For me personally it was a long five days but we’re still early on in the year
“I don’t feel the pressure at all. I’m very fortunate to be in this position and working alongside John and Thady. I can’t tell you how much confidence they instil in my riding and I’m under absolutely no pressure riding for them, they’re fantastic guys to be riding for.
“Everyone’s on side and everyone’s aware that we might not have the strongest team of horses this year, three-year-olds really, as long as the whole camp understands, that’s all that matters to me.
“I go out and do my best on a daily basis for them, I try and bring home the winners, but I can only ride the horses that are underneath me.
“It’s not like I’m getting beat heads and lengths on some of these horses, they’re getting beaten by further, but fortunately enough there’s a new stock of two-year-olds that come in every year and I’m sure it’s just around the corner that a few nice ones appear.”
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