Ryan Moore, Aidan O'Brien's stable jockey, will miss the remainder of the 2025 Flat season after sustaining a fractured femur, a blow to Ballydoyle as the campaign enters its crucial final phase. The injury, which Moore may have been riding with for two months, was finally diagnosed last week. O'Brien has moved quickly to secure Christophe Soumillon for key big-race rides, with Wayne Lordan also available pending an appeal against a riding ban.
Moore's absence comes at a critical time, with major meetings including the St Leger, Champions Weekend in Ireland, the Arc meeting at Longchamp, British Champions Day, and the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar. Ballydoyle's focus on producing stallions means that results in these races can significantly affect future stud fees. O'Brien confirmed that Soumillon, a world-class jockey who has ridden for the yard frequently since leaving the Aga Khan's stable, will fill the gap.
Moore, widely regarded as the world's best big-race jockey according to Thoroughbred Racing Commentary rankings, has spent over 300 weeks at the top of the TRC system. His injury may have originated from a minor fracture while exercising, aggravated when he was thrown from a horse in early August. Despite this, he produced a standout ride on Delacroix to win the Eclipse Stakes in early July, a victory worth around £700,000 in the trainers' championship.
O'Brien said: 'Christophe has always been part of the Ballydoyle planning. He's not tied down to anybody now. He's a world-class jockey everywhere. Wayne is having his appeal this week. I don't know how long Ryan is going to be out, but we will tell him to take as much time as he wants.' Soumillon has already ridden O'Brien's Diego Velazquez to victory in the Group One Prix Jacques le Marois last month and had a Group One double at the Arc meeting last year, though he has yet to win a top-level race for Ballydoyle in Britain or Ireland.
