No rush to name James Doyle's successor
Last Updated: 09/11/14 7:05pm
Teddy Grimthorpe insists there will be no "knee-jerk reaction" to James Doyle leaving his role as number one rider to owner Khalid Abdullah and taking up a similar position for the Godolphin operation next season.
Doyle, 26, enjoyed a fine year in the famous green, white and pink colours, winning four Group Ones on the John Gosden-trained Kingman to add to their Dewhurst success of last year.
Kingman missed British Champions Day, but Doyle still managed to steal the show on Lady Cecil's Noble Mission for Abdullah in the Champion Stakes. Doyle also won two other Group Ones on Frankel's full-brother, including the Tattersalls Gold Cup.
Doyle, however, will be the new jockey for Saeed bin Suroor in Sheikh Mohammed's operation from 2015, and also take mounts for Godolphin's other trainer, Charlie Appleby.
Grimthorpe, racing manager to Abdullah, told Press Association Sport: "We are very pleased for James, and we hope it will be a really good move.
"The original contract was a year and a half, it was certainly James's decision (to leave).
"He has been really successful for us and has ridden brilliantly."
Asked about a potential successor, Grimthorpe said: "We will let the dust settle and have a look, there'll be no knee-jerk reaction. One door closes and another one opens, nothing has really been discussed."