{"id":75915,"date":"2025-08-18T17:16:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T17:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/75915\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T17:16:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T17:16:08","slug":"hollie-doyle-blog-jockey-speaks-of-shock-at-losing-imad-alsagar-job-on-eve-of-ebor-festival-at-york-racing-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/75915\/","title":{"rendered":"Hollie Doyle blog: Jockey speaks of ‘shock’ at losing Imad Alsagar job on eve of Ebor Festival at York | Racing News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sky Sports Racing ambassador Hollie Doyle reacts to losing her retainer with owner Imad Alsagar and previews her rides on day one of the Ebor Festival at York.<\/p>\n

Shock news but proud of my achievements for Imad<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I was informed on Friday I’d lost my long-standing retainer with leading owner Imad Alsagar. It came as a bit of a shock, particularly at this stage of the season.<\/p>\n

I’ve been a part of Imad’s operation for five years, riding 38 winners including at the highest of levels. We’ve enjoyed numerous stakes winners, a Royal Ascot winner and a Classic winner with the wonderful Nashwa in the Prix de Diane in 2022, followed by two further Group One successes.<\/p>\n

I have nothing but the utmost respect for Imad and would like to thank him for giving me such an amazing opportunity at a formative stage of my career. I wish him and the team the very best of luck in the future.<\/p>\n

\"Nashwa\"\/<\/p>\n

Image:
\n Doyle and Nashwa struck up a successful partnership<\/p>\n

Terrorise a threat off light weight<\/p>\n

The show goes on and I head to York on Wednesday for three rides on the opening day of the Ebor Festival, including TERRORISE in the Sky Bet Stayers Handicap (4.10).<\/p>\n

Trained by the shrewd Brian Ellison, the versatile four-year-old gets into this extended two-miler off a light weight after dominating a course and distance handicap last month.<\/p>\n

Also a hurdles winner at Cartmel in May, he’s up 7lb for his latest exploits on the Flat and finds himself in a higher grade but stays well, is effective on the forecast fast ground and can give it a good go off just 8st 2lb.<\/p>\n

Orbit looks well handicapped<\/p>\n

I rode Jamie Insole and Dr Richard Newland’s BLUE ORBIT at the Qatar Goodwood Festival and partner him again in the Sky Bet Nursery Handicap (5.20) on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The son of Starman was a shade unlucky at Goodwood as we didn’t enjoy the clearest of runs but I liked the way he acquitted himself. He was a free-going sort but is clearly learning to race the right way round and could just be well handicapped off a reduced mark of 80.<\/p>\n

I’m not happy with my draw out on the wing in stall one but still expect him to show up well for his upwardly mobile stable on ground he should enjoy.<\/p>\n

Irish raider out to upset the odds<\/p>\n

The opening Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool Handicap (1.50) over five-and-a-half furlongs on Wednesday is fiercely competitive and I’m on big-priced Irish raider CUBAN GREY.<\/p>\n

Patrick McKenna’s gelding, who I rode at Newcastle last year when he needed the outing, has been holding his form well at home, posting a hard-fought success at the Curragh in July.<\/p>\n

He’s 7lb higher in the weights now but wasn’t beaten far off his current mark in tough races at The Curragh and Cork on his previous starts so hopefully might surprise a few people in a race that demands much more.<\/p>\n

Japanese ace can upset Juddmonte stars<\/p>\n

I expect Aidan O’Brien’s Delacroix to confirm his superiority over Godolphin’s Ombudsman in a mouth-watering Juddmonte International Stakes (3.35) at York on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

There was little between them at the line in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown but nothing went Delacroix’s way that day yet he still found a way to win for the persistent Ryan Moore.<\/p>\n

However, I’m hoping Japan’s star DANON DECILE will take the measure of both for Keita Tosaki, who I had the pleasure of riding against in his native country last winter.<\/p>\n

He’s not only a lovely guy but an exceptional jockey as he proved when guiding this four-year-old to glory in the Dubai Sheema Classic in the spring. Shogo Yasuda’s colt will love the track and has already proven his effectiveness on fast ground.<\/p>\n

\"Ombudsman<\/p>\n

Image:
\n Ombudsman clears away from Anmaat to win the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes<\/p>\n

Arras could pose main threat to Lambourn<\/p>\n

Dual Derby winner LAMBOURN is hard to oppose in the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes (3.00) at York on Wednesday – a race he should win en route to a likely tilt at the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster next month.<\/p>\n

He’s so far clear on ratings that a Group One penalty shouldn’t pose any problems but I’d like to see Ralph Beckett’s Pride Of Arras make a race of it back at the scene of his Dante win in May.<\/p>\n

Gelded since flopping in both Derbies, he represents a yard in good form and could easily be re-ignited by his return to the Knavesmire.<\/p>\n

Hollie Doyle was speaking to Sky Sports Racing’s Simon Mapletoft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sky Sports Racing ambassador Hollie Doyle reacts to losing her retainer with owner Imad Alsagar and previews her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68858,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[3004,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-75915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-racing","tag-racing","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}