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Am I alone in thinking that a certain jockey’s fear of failure is being transmitted to his horses, not only in chases but also hurdle races? Perhaps he should consider moving to a less exacting trainer.
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My guess would be that such a comment has been made in reference to Inchidaly Rock’s defeat at Chepstow, and perhaps that of Gullible Gordon.
The only response I can come up with, if the above is indeed the case, is ‘yes, you are alone Ken’.
Some of the threads that are being started at the moment are an utter nonsense.
Am I alone in thinking that a certain jockey’s fear of failure is being transmitted to his horses, not only in chases but also hurdle races? Perhaps he should consider moving to a less exacting trainer.
Agree with Eqitrack, another anti Sam Thomas thread is uncalled for. If you want to make the point of course you can Ken, but can’t it go in an existing thread?
Mark
Value Is EverythingPlease, try not to misunderstand me. I purposefully chose not to include my comment under a previous thread solely because I did not want to personalise the issue and jump on the ‘critical bandwagon’. I wrote in terms of the jockey’s mental well-being and in the hope that someone who actually works with racehorses might be able to shed some light on the sensitivity of horses in relation to the person in the saddle. My limited experience leads me to believe that horses can and do respond to ‘vibes’ and having watched the two races mentioned above plus others, subjective though it might be, I do sense a discomfort between horse and rider. As far as the jockey is concerned. Even T.V. commentators are increasingly focussing on the jockey’s performance, more so than usual, so he must feel under even greater pressure to perform and if that becomes intolerable then for his own welfare perhaps a change of scenery and a fresh start might be the solution. Living in someone else’s shadow does not always bring out the best in a rider. I am not talking about physical horsemanship here, his ability is indisputable. I am thinking more in terms of where he finds himself psychologically at present. Some people might turn to the bottle/drugs in such circumstances whilst for others the answer might be a fresh challenge in a more supportive environment.
Anyway, thanks for your earlier comments. Points noted.I see your point Ken and I think there is some truth in what you say. Confidence is a huge thing and it does transmit from one to another. Whatever it is in life if you are feeling ultra confident and at the top of your game you will achieve far better results than if you’re not. Its not just in sport but in all walks of life. A rather simplistic example – If you have a young man going out on the pull with loads of confidence and charsima he’s going to find it a hell of a lot easier to get a girl than someone with no confidence who will just stand there in the corner.
Horses are animals that respond to humans and to feel. Confidence or lack of it is transmitted through the saddle to them. When a jockey is in form they can often do no wrong because horses run for them because the jockey transmits his confidence to them. In contrast look at poor Sam at the moment who is down on his luck you wouldn’t be confident on him winning on a 1/10 shot. He will not be confident when he gets on a horse. Its something he "has to do" but regardless of what he may say publically he won’t be looking forward to it he’ll just be hoping and preying nothing else goes wrong.
How you reverse the cycle is the question. Sam I believe will ride through it. He needs one of those days where he wins on a couple of horses that he shouldn’t win on, one of those days where he wins a race through his own tactical smartness which earns him praise and restores his self confidence.
He’ll soon be back Sam Thomas is too good a jockey to be down for long.
Ian
I can’t see anywhere in Ken’s posts where he has named the jockey concerned.
Rob
No but put two and two together.
I presume its about Sam as everything has been over the last week or so.
Rob North
Precisely. You can apply the words to whichever jockey you choose. It might be a particular jockey at this point in time, it could be another jockey at some future date. The purpose of the thread was, as very capably responded to by Ian, to allow a discussion about horse sensitivities and career paths of jockeys.
Your one-liners, whilst appreciated, add little to the discussion.Having ridden a bit I know that horses do react to a nervous pilot…..it definately unsettles them and some will even extract the urine if you don’t know what you are doing.
Regarding Sam Thomas he comes across as a very confident young man and I doubt if his recent bout of falls had anything to do with him losing it and causing other falls……I doubt if he even gave a thought to falling of Kauto Star when puting the leg up on his next few mounts but when the press got into him that may have got his mind going a bit……didn’t last long though did it?
Your right about vibes but I doubt if many top jocks get nervous or lose confidence….stable lads/girls do for sure when they first start..but jocks are a law unto themselves….in my experience and anyone who has been lucky enough to be in the changing room will tell you, they are cocky as hell never stop taking the piss out of each other and it’s all just good fun to them. They have a massive respect for each other and it’s like a continous party and amzing just to listen to the continous banter that goes on.
Gold Cup days, National days etc the atmosphere will be somewhat different but week in week out the only vibes that lot get is who should we take the piss out of next
Fist of Fury: Your experience showed with yesterday’s selections – imagine you’ll be pretty high in the league table when it appears. It was good to read about the inter-jockey banter. Perhaps I’ve been overly- sensitive as to how jockeys must feel when things aren’t going to plan. Maybe they see it as just a bad day at the office one day and tomorrow
is a new dawn. As an outsider, I’m always interested to read about ex-jockeys, valets, owners etc. anecdotes. So if anyone has anything to share about their racing/riding experiences, humour, etc. I’d much appreciate a thread. Cheers.Rob North
Precisely. You can apply the words to whichever jockey you choose. .Ken
The inference was that is a current jockey, and a specific one at that.
If it isn’t then I don’t understand the point of the thread, and by the same token if you are here to damn an individual by the backdoor then I don’t understand the point of the thread.
Rob
Rob North
Precisely. You can apply the words to whichever jockey you choose. .Ken
The inference was that is a current jockey, and a specific one at that.
If it isn’t then I don’t understand the point of the thread, and by the same token if you are here to damn an individual by the backdoor then I don’t understand the point of the thread.
Rob
Think what Ken means is this is a thread about Sam Thomas but it could easily be another jockey losing his confidence at another time. ie a few years ago AP McCoy was said to have lost his confidence during the Cheltenham Festival. As in all jockeys lose confidence from time to time and is not meant as a criticism.
Mark
Value Is Everything- Total Posts 17716
If Ken were indeed posing a question about jockeys in general, his opening statement would have been worded as follows:
Am I alone in thinking that any jockey’s fear of failure can be transmitted to their horses, not only in chases but also hurdle races? Perhaps they should consider moving to a less exacting trainer.
As it stands it is incredibly specific (some of it so specific that it can’t be generalised), referring to a male individual under the employment of an ‘exacting trainer’ who is believed to be struggling over hurdles having had recent problems over fences.
Pointless, unfounded nonsense.
Fair enough Equitrack and Rob North. It was obviously an error on my part to post the thread I did. In future, I’ll give more thought to your sensitivities before posting. On the other hand…… perhaps not.
It appears to me that you would rather not read anything that impinges on your own views/desires; whilst I disagree with this covert form of censorship, perhaps I should succumb to your seniority in terms of length of membership.
I, am Sirs,
Your humble apprentice
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