Christophe Soumillon has sacked himself from Dabirsim following the colt’s defeat in the French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp on Sunday.
The Belgian jockey told Paris-Turf he lacked “chemistry” with the Christophe Ferland-trained three-year-old who won two Group Ones for Frankie Dettori in an unbeaten juvenile campaign.
Soumillon has twice been out of luck aboard Dabirsim who finished sixth in the French Classic at the weekend after he encountered desperate trouble in running.
“I called the owner Simon Springer on Tuesday morning and I explained to him that I would prefer not to ride Dabirsim anymore,” Soumillon said.
“I have gone over my two rides on him and I don’t think I’ve made any big mistakes but you have to look at the facts.
“For some reason which I can’t explain, I don’t seem to get on with the colt.
“I’m not superstitious but the results speak for themselves. The chemistry isn’t there between us.
“Regarding the horse and his connections, I think it’s best for me to step aside and hope that the next jockey can help him rediscover his sparkle.”
Ferland is in no rush to make any firm decisions about who will ride Dabirsim on his next racecourse appearance.
“There are plenty of able riders and the horse is not going to be running very soon, so we have some time to make a decision,” he said.
The French trainer admits his charge is not 100 per cent after his luckless weekend run and is keen to give him time before deciding on his next target which could still be the July Cup at Newmarket.
“The horse is just all right after his run on Sunday,” Ferland said.
“There are plenty of options for him. There is the July Cup, the Prix Jean Prat and the Prix Maurice de Gheest.”
