Talking Horses: Brilliant Benbatl back on course for Champions Day

“I want to see something good from him in the future,” said Saeed bin Suroor, sounding his most headmasterly after Benbatl sprang something of a surprise on his return to action here, pulling five lengths clear of some useful rivals in the Joel Stakes. From the trainer’s tone, one would have thought Benbatl was an arrogant pupil who should not be over-praised, rather than a top-class racehorse with earnings of more than £4m.

British racegoers have not, until now, seen the best of Benbatl and this was his first victory in the country where he is trained since Royal Ascot of 2017, when he scrambled home by half a length in a Group Three. But something about crossing borders has had an electrifying effect and he has won major prizes in Germany, Dubai and Australia, where he also finished just two lengths behind the mighty Winx last year.

Might he now be regarded as a star in his home country? His next outing will decide that, as it is very likely to be on Champions Day three weeks from now, when he could tackle the QEII or the Champion Stakes itself.

The QEII looks the more winnable, given that Benbatl has now taken over at the top of the betting as the 6-1 favourite, in a race in which the main opposition would be Circus Maximus and Lord Glitters. But that would mean sticking to a mile, whereas Benbatl has done most of his racing over further. Bin Suroor seemed to think the bare mile worked on this occasion because the horse was “fresh and keen” on his first run for 11 months.

Giving forlorn chase behind Benbatl was King Of Comedy, sent off a well-fancied 6-5 favourite but beaten for the third time in a row and in danger of becoming disappointing.

It was a tough day all round for his jockey, Frankie Dettori, who has had a standout year and arrived with five good-looking rides but left empty handed. Perhaps he sensed the way things were going when She’s Got You, his mount in the opener, carted him to the start, wasting vital energy before being beaten a neck.

At least he and the other jockeys escaped disaster in the following race, when a section of an advertising hoarding, displaying the “Shad” of sponsors Shadwell, came adrift from its moorings and blew across the track. Thankfully, the runners were still a couple of furlongs away at the time and it appears the jockeys were oblivious to their near miss as the board was dragged out of their way by a member of groundstaff.

Michael Prosser, the clerk of the course, explained: “We had a conversation this morning with the company that put them up. We said there might be some strong gusts of wind but that gust was extremely strong. I have to say, I thought my staff acted extremely quickly and dealt with the situation very well. But as a result we have taken the other hoardings down and we’re not prepared to take another risk for the day.

How James Doyle copes with online abuse

Ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, James Doyle has spoken about the pressures that jockeys face and the importance of trying to keep a level head. While his own career has flourished in recent years, he can still remember how tough times were for him before a link with Roger Charlton and Cityscape catapulted him into the big time in 2012.

“I wouldn’t say I was definitely depressed,” Doyle reflected, “but I was certainly very low at a period in my career when I was doing all the hard yards, putting in all the hours in the car and sweating and not really getting anywhere.” Charlton recently described the jockey as having been “a bit depressed” before joining his yard.

Doyle discussed the issue of mental health with the British sprinter Adam Gemili in a video made by Great British Racing in which the pair reflect on the different pressures created by their sports. Doyle noted that, while horse racing brings almost constant scrutiny, it at least affords a quick chance to atone.

“We might be racing 10 times a day and one race might not go so well but the next one might go super-well and suddenly you’ve gone from villain to hero in half an hour. Adam’s races are obviously a lot more spread out.”

In conversation with Gemili, Doyle remembered the Falmouth Stakes, in which he was a close second on One Master, as being the trigger for some especially harsh criticism directed at him through Twitter. But he has never considered ditching his social media accounts.

“I enjoy it. I think I was one of the early people to go on it and, whilst you do get a lot of abuse on there, I find it’s a pretty even spread, with abuse and praise.

“Everyone’s different. I find it entertaining sometimes, especially when the comments are completely unjust. You just have to laugh at it and move on. I wouldn’t be one to start retaliating in any way.”

Gemili told Doyle that a sports psychologist has helped him. The jockey has no plans to try anything similar but says: “I have friends that probably fit that role without actually being psychologists. I’ve got a good group of friends around me that I can speak to after racing and I find that very helpful. Some are in racing, some aren’t.

“For instance, Royal Ascot, a place where we all want to ride winners but it’s very difficult to do so. Say you’re going there with a good book of rides and things don’t go to plan, it’s always nice to have someone you can call and reflect on it, maybe not even talk about the races, talk about something completely different altogether.”

Doyle concedes that depression is still rarely discussed in the weighing room, though this week’s news that William Carson has been talking about it could change that. Help is available for jockeys who find themselves struggling. “The Professional Jockeys Association is very good,” Doyle adds. “We have helplines we can call and they work very closely with the jockeys and know them well.”

• QIPCO British Champions Day takes place at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 19 October. For tickets go to britishchampionsday.com