JOCKEYS TO FOLLOW
RUBY’S GEMS TO SPARKLE THIS FLAT SEASON
T
here is a part of me that cannot believe that I am penning a column about the upcoming Flat season before the flag has dropped for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. But here I am, trying to foresee what might
happen when we will all be wearing T-shirts and shorts instead of raingear and skins. I am going to pick some jockeys on both sides of the Irish Sea to follow through the months of long days and short races, and throw in a couple of trainers for good measure too.
BENOIT DE LA SAYETTE The introduction many moons ago of the winter all-weather season provided a platform for smaller yards and lesser horses to compete but, a little like summer jumping, it also gave those new to the game, a chance to make a start and gain experience. Apprentices were rarely going to be afforded the opportunity to ride internationally so when the big names are away, they have a better chance to play, and the opportunity to catch the eye of more than just their boss. Benoit De La Sayette had a strike rate of 20% in 2020, albeit one winner from five rides, but in 2021, at the time of writing, that has soared to 35% with
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the young Newmarket-based rider scoring on eight of his 23 rides thus far this season. They are phenomenal figures for any rider, but Benoit also has the privilege of being apprenticed to John Gosden. This former British and French pony racing star is shining bright on the heath at the minute and the connection he has also forged with Kevin Philippart De Foy is proving very profitable for both. Kevin, former assistant to James Fanshawe
where Benoit’s dad Geoffroy works, is also enjoying a blistering to start to his new career with 10 winners from his first 26 runners. Both are young men making a rapid impression and operating at strike rates they have no chance of maintaining, but one can take the opportunities the other clearly knows how to find.
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