Aidan Coleman has described the news that John Ferguson is to give up his training licence in April as a "real blow".
The rider has struck up a terrific relationship with Ferguson as his number one this season and is enjoying a fine campaign, sitting on 99 winners, second only to Richard Johnson in the jockeys' championship.
Ferguson will devote more time to Godolphin, becoming chief executive and racing manager to Sheikh Mohammed's operation.
Coleman, speaking in his blog for Racing UK, said: "The news that John Ferguson is to retire at the end of the season naturally came as a big shock and is a real blow.
" It must have been a very, very difficult decision for John as he loves training but I can fully understand why he had to make the call. His priorities lie with Sheikh Mohammed and he has to do what is best for Godolphin, Darley and Dubai.
" It has been a massive honour to ride for John and Bloomfields. It was a dream come true and I am going to really miss it. I am not just saying this for the sake of saying nice things, but the team there are second to none and I have loved every minute of it.
"It's been a very short association but I will struggle to find a sweeter one. It was a fantastic honour and I was very proud to be John's jockey. It makes the reality of the news that much tougher to take.
"We've had an exceptional year together and we will be doing everything we can to make it a season to remember for a very long time.
"John is a fantastic person and once the season is over I would love our paths to cross again at some point in the future."
He added: "What this season has done is propelled my career to the next level. Sure, it would have been nice to raise a century of winners before Christmas but I am absolutely delighted to only be one short and in clear second position in the Stobart jockeys' championship.
"It will be interesting to see what next season brings and hopefully there will be some other opportunities which I can grasp with both hands."