diff --git a/pkg/logql/downstream.go b/pkg/logql/downstream.go
index 80764de70892..2e3dbfd014a1 100644
--- a/pkg/logql/downstream.go
+++ b/pkg/logql/downstream.go
@@ -394,22 +394,11 @@ func (ev *DownstreamEvaluator) NewStepEvaluator(
 
 	case DownstreamSampleExpr:
 		// downstream to a querier
-		var shards Shards
-		if e.shard != nil {
-			shards = append(shards, e.shard.Shard)
-			params = ParamsWithChunkOverrides{
-				Params:              params,
-				StoreChunksOverride: &e.shard.chunks,
-			}
-		}
 		acc := NewBufferedAccumulator(1)
 		results, err := ev.Downstream(ctx, []DownstreamQuery{{
-			Params: ParamsWithShardsOverride{
-				Params: ParamsWithExpressionOverride{
-					Params:             params,
-					ExpressionOverride: e.SampleExpr,
-				},
-				ShardsOverride: shards.Encode(),
+			Params: ParamsWithExpressionOverride{
+				Params:             ParamOverridesFromShard(params, e.shard),
+				ExpressionOverride: e.SampleExpr,
 			},
 		}}, acc)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -422,16 +411,10 @@ func (ev *DownstreamEvaluator) NewStepEvaluator(
 		var queries []DownstreamQuery
 		for cur != nil {
 			qry := DownstreamQuery{
-				Params: ParamsWithExpressionOverride{Params: params, ExpressionOverride: cur.DownstreamSampleExpr.SampleExpr},
-			}
-			if shard := cur.DownstreamSampleExpr.shard; shard != nil {
-				qry.Params = ParamsWithShardsOverride{
-					Params: ParamsWithChunkOverrides{
-						Params:              qry.Params,
-						StoreChunksOverride: &shard.chunks,
-					},
-					ShardsOverride: Shards{shard.Shard}.Encode(),
-				}
+				Params: ParamsWithExpressionOverride{
+					Params:             ParamOverridesFromShard(params, cur.DownstreamSampleExpr.shard),
+					ExpressionOverride: cur.DownstreamSampleExpr.SampleExpr,
+				},
 			}
 			queries = append(queries, qry)
 			cur = cur.next
@@ -464,19 +447,10 @@ func (ev *DownstreamEvaluator) NewStepEvaluator(
 			for _, d := range e.quantileMergeExpr.downstreams {
 				qry := DownstreamQuery{
 					Params: ParamsWithExpressionOverride{
-						Params:             params,
+						Params:             ParamOverridesFromShard(params, d.shard),
 						ExpressionOverride: d.SampleExpr,
 					},
 				}
-				if shard := d.shard; shard != nil {
-					qry.Params = ParamsWithShardsOverride{
-						Params: ParamsWithChunkOverrides{
-							Params:              qry.Params,
-							StoreChunksOverride: &shard.chunks,
-						},
-						ShardsOverride: Shards{shard.Shard}.Encode(),
-					}
-				}
 				queries = append(queries, qry)
 			}
 		}
@@ -512,22 +486,11 @@ func (ev *DownstreamEvaluator) NewIterator(
 	switch e := expr.(type) {
 	case DownstreamLogSelectorExpr:
 		// downstream to a querier
-		var shards Shards
-		if e.shard != nil {
-			shards = append(shards, e.shard.Shard)
-			params = ParamsWithChunkOverrides{
-				Params:              params,
-				StoreChunksOverride: &e.shard.chunks,
-			}
-		}
 		acc := NewStreamAccumulator(params)
 		results, err := ev.Downstream(ctx, []DownstreamQuery{{
-			Params: ParamsWithShardsOverride{
-				Params: ParamsWithExpressionOverride{
-					Params:             params,
-					ExpressionOverride: e.LogSelectorExpr,
-				},
-				ShardsOverride: shards.Encode(),
+			Params: ParamsWithExpressionOverride{
+				Params:             ParamOverridesFromShard(params, e.shard),
+				ExpressionOverride: e.LogSelectorExpr,
 			},
 		}}, acc)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -540,16 +503,10 @@ func (ev *DownstreamEvaluator) NewIterator(
 		var queries []DownstreamQuery
 		for cur != nil {
 			qry := DownstreamQuery{
-				Params: ParamsWithExpressionOverride{Params: params, ExpressionOverride: cur.DownstreamLogSelectorExpr.LogSelectorExpr},
-			}
-			if shard := cur.DownstreamLogSelectorExpr.shard; shard != nil {
-				qry.Params = ParamsWithShardsOverride{
-					Params: ParamsWithChunkOverrides{
-						Params:              qry.Params,
-						StoreChunksOverride: &shard.chunks,
-					},
-					ShardsOverride: Shards{shard.Shard}.Encode(),
-				}
+				Params: ParamsWithExpressionOverride{
+					Params:             ParamOverridesFromShard(params, cur.DownstreamLogSelectorExpr.shard),
+					ExpressionOverride: cur.DownstreamLogSelectorExpr.LogSelectorExpr,
+				},
 			}
 			queries = append(queries, qry)
 			cur = cur.next
diff --git a/pkg/logql/evaluator.go b/pkg/logql/evaluator.go
index 9370c614b38c..7c1f45021731 100644
--- a/pkg/logql/evaluator.go
+++ b/pkg/logql/evaluator.go
@@ -157,6 +157,26 @@ func (p ParamsWithChunkOverrides) GetStoreChunks() *logproto.ChunkRefGroup {
 	return p.StoreChunksOverride
 }
 
+func ParamOverridesFromShard(base Params, shard *ShardWithChunkRefs) (result Params) {
+	if shard == nil {
+		return base
+	}
+
+	result = ParamsWithShardsOverride{
+		Params:         base,
+		ShardsOverride: Shards{shard.Shard}.Encode(),
+	}
+
+	if shard.chunks != nil {
+		result = ParamsWithChunkOverrides{
+			Params:              result,
+			StoreChunksOverride: shard.chunks,
+		}
+	}
+
+	return result
+}
+
 // Sortable logql contain sort or sort_desc.
 func Sortable(q Params) (bool, error) {
 	var sortable bool
diff --git a/pkg/logql/shards.go b/pkg/logql/shards.go
index d280777c0f60..4ada33587ae2 100644
--- a/pkg/logql/shards.go
+++ b/pkg/logql/shards.go
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ func (s PowerOfTwoStrategy) Shards(expr syntax.Expr) ([]ShardWithChunkRefs, uint
 // and are used to precompute chunk refs for each group
 type ShardWithChunkRefs struct {
 	Shard
-	chunks logproto.ChunkRefGroup
+	chunks *logproto.ChunkRefGroup
 }
 
 // Shard represents a shard annotation
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ func (s Shard) Bind(chunks *logproto.ChunkRefGroup) *ShardWithChunkRefs {
 		Shard: s,
 	}
 	if chunks != nil {
-		res.chunks = *chunks
+		res.chunks = chunks
 	}
 	return res
 }