ENGLISH TEXTS
SANDIE DOUSSOT & DYLAN BILLOT:
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By Cécile Adonias
MENTALLY UN- BURDENING JOCKEYS TO HELP THEM PERFORM
A joint interview with mother and son, both jockey agents: Sandie Doussot and Dylan Billot talk to us about their jockeys.
Galorama. What is the current state of jockeys’ mental health?
Sandie Doussot. It depends on where they are in their year, their goals, and the ups and downs of racing( suspensions, falls, poor form …). Overall, I’ d say there’ s a real difference between the top fifteen and the rest. They have a different outlook on the job, a warrior’ s mindset, and pursue a clear objective. They’ re closer to high-level athletes.
Dylan Billot. As for my team, I’ m quite pleased. They’ re united and motivated. The restart of racing in Paris has given them fresh energy. It’ s ultimately quite cyclical, which is normal. And it’ s not a matter of age. Take Johnny Charon, for example, at 45 he stays motivated like an 18-year-old, as if he’ d nev- er won a Group 1. That’ s impressive.
SD. It’ s up to us to step in when there’ s a dip in morale. We organize their schedule so that they carry no mental burden, freeing their minds so they can simply enjoy racing and aim for top performance.
DB. Again, we are a team. We talk a lot amongst ourselves and with the jockeys. Mutual support between them is very strong.
G. Do some of your jockeys work with a mental coach?
DB. Gabin Meunier has, and it really helped him to stay focused between races. It’ s a need that should be normalized.
SD. I’ d look at it more broadly. They need both a mental and a sports coach. Just riding isn’ t enough to be at peak ability. Of course, it comes at a cost, but above all it’ s a commitment to progress. As agents, we’ re also a bit like coaches. You have to get to know them and adapt to each one individually. We support them in reaching their goals by taking on the organizational mental load. For example, I only tell jockeys about their rides at the time of the“ probable runners.” Before that, there’ s too much movement and it could create disappointment.
DB. I talk to my jockeys on the phone every day, more than with my own family( laughs).
SD. We talk about everything, racing as well as their everyday lives, because that can also have an impact. We’ re not just a work team but a family that stays connected 365 days a year, because it never really stops. By the way, perhaps the schedule could be smoothed out, especially in jump racing, so there aren’ t two race meetings one week and five the next.
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Igor de Maack Global Economy Associate director at the wealth management firm Vitalepargne, Igor de Maack is a reference in financial market analysis. He has also invested in horses( Écurie Nininoé) out of passion, thanks to his friendship with Fabien Rycroft( Écurie Elag). Initially active in harness racing, he has diversified into flat racing, notably with horses such as Lindy and Onesto.
Katherine Ford UK Passionate about racing, Katherine left her native Yorkshire to spend six months in France in the early 2000s... and almost 25 years later, she is still there. Now
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