Dubai: In a major shift in policy aimed at broadening their prospects, Godolphin will use the services of some of the best jockeys in the UK, and not depend exclusively on retained riders Silvestre de Sousa and Mickael Barzalona.

After de Sousa was last week obliged to surrender the key ride on Derby prospect True Story to Kieren Fallon in the Dante Stakes, it is the turn of Barzalona to learn that some of his big rides may now go to William Buick, Ryan Moore, Martin Lane or even reigning champion Richard Hughes.

Previously, the two Godolphin pilots shared the pick of the horses trained by Godolphin handlers Saeed Bin Suour and Charlie Appleby; however, that may not be the case anymore.

Buick, the only rider to win the British Apprentice Championship twice and three-time champion jockey Ryan Moore, last week donned Godolphin’s trademark blue silks together with Martin Lane, who rides out regularly for Appleby at his Moulton Paddocks Stables in Newmarket, England.

“It’s nothing new, it’s been right from the start of the season. William Buick and Martin Lane have been riding out for me, and I’m just moving the rides around and putting the jockeys to the horses as I see fit,” Appleby said in The Guardian.

“Not every jockey gets on with every horse and I just feel it allows us as trainers to say that if I feel William Buick, Martin Lane, Ryan Moore or whoever will suit a particular horse, I can put him up.

“From my point of view and the stable’s point of view, it gives me a lot more cards to play with,” he added.

“If I feel a horse needs to be ridden strongly from the front, I can put a certain rider on, or if I want someone a bit more sympathetic, there’s an array of riders out there with different strengths in their armoury.

“I don’t want to be too one-dimensional and say, I’ve got to have this rider because that’s the way it is.”

Ever since Godolphin was launched in 1994, more than 200 different jockeys have done duty for the stable that has enjoyed winners in 14 different countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom and USA.

Godolphin-trained horses have run at 129 racecourses worldwide and, given the scale of the operation, the fact that they have a pool of jockeys to chose from creates more options for trainers Bin Surour and Appleby.

Statistically both Brazilian De Sousa and French rider Barzalona have not fared as well this year as they have in the past.

The former, who joined Godolphin on February 22, 2012, has notched just 23 wins from 162 rides this season while Barzalona has made it to the winner’s enclosure only on eight occasions from 81 starts.

Overall, De Sousa, who earlier this year won the Dubai World Cup (G1) aboard African Story, has ridden 142 winners at a strike rate of 22 per cent, while Barzalona, also a former Dubai World Cup (G1) winner on Monterosso has booted home 173 successes at a strike rate of 20 per cent.

Appleby, however, has hinted that the new policy does not reflect on the performance of the riders.

“Mickael is a very sympathetic rider, who likes to come from off the pace. But that does not suit every horse. You have to match the jockey with the horse, and that is what we will be doing,” he told the Racing Post.

“I feel you don’t need to be tied down to one specific rider. I have 200 horses and there are plenty of jockeys out there.”

Bin Surour was not available for comment today, but had also said earlier that he will be using more than one jockey (De Sousa) this season.