Amo Racing reshapes trainer and jockey roster after expansion

Amo Racing kept David Egan as its first-choice jockey through the end of 2026 and added Rowan Scott to its retained riding ranks, the clearest sign yet that Kia Joorabchian is building a bigger operation while still trying to settle its core team. The changes land in the middle of a wider overhaul that has already reached several of the sport’s most recognisable yards.

Kevin Philippart de Foy became Amo’s retained trainer in July 2025, taking over from Raphael Freire. Since then, Amo has also moved horses away from Ralph Beckett, including the Frankel filly bought for a record £4.6 million, the most expensive yearling sold at auction in Europe last year. Roger Varian no longer had horses in training for the stable, while Robson Aguiar, a long-time Amo member, saw most of his horses removed from his yard.

That churn matters on the racecourse. A retained trainer and a retained jockey shape more than race-day tactics: they affect where horses are placed, how quickly young stock is advanced, and which targets are chosen when a horse is ready to move from education into pattern-race company. When an owner is expanding fast, those decisions become part of the competitive structure, not just a personnel ledger.

Joorabchian’s spending has matched the ambition. He poured more than £24 million into the Newmarket yearling sales in October 2024, and Amo has continued to project scale through names that carry commercial weight, including Frankie Dettori as a global brand ambassador. But the repeated shifts in the training and riding setup show the tension inside the model: growth brings reach, yet every new partnership has to be fitted into a stable that is still being rearranged.

Egan remains the central riding piece for now, and Scott’s arrival gives Amo another retained option as the yard widens its footprint. The next test is whether that roster finally brings the continuity needed to turn heavy investment into a more settled run of results through the rest of the season.