LIFE doesn’t get much tougher than being a jockey.
Early starts, long journeys and strict diets mean it can be a struggle for many in the saddle.
They have to be mentally tough and over the last few years a new phenomenon has been added to the workload. The lesser spotted ‘Twitter Troll.’
Unlike Premier League footballers, jockeys aren’t hidden behind PR managers and have to face up to the punters on a regular basis.
The ability for anyone to tap out a message on social media can make it an ugly place for pocket talk.
The Godolphin man said: “I’ve been on Twitter for quite some time now, I was one of the earliest jockeys to be on there I think.
“People take criticism and the like very differently on there and that’s fair enough. But I’m relaxed about it all.
“I think it’s an even spread of people sending the hate and then people sending good and nice things about certain rides.
“When you’ve ridden a big Group 1 winner, you feel like you’ve made a difference and you may look on Twitter afterwards and lots of people have been writing lots of lovely things about you!
“But unfortunately it makes you accessible and gives people the tool and a way of getting their thoughts across to you. The really bad ones tend to be hidden away behind accounts with weird names and no profile pictures.”
The Doyler is lucky enough to be a retained rider under racing juggernaut Godolphin and admits life isn’t as easy for other riders in the weighing room, whether on Twitter or in the real world.
He said: “It’s a very demanding sport from a mental aspect, there can be no denying that.
“You’ve got all your early starts on a very limited and low calorie diet and also having to shed weight on top of that sometimes with runs and saunas.
“Then throw that in with all the travelling it can be very hard work.
“From my personal experience you do begin to deal with it better once you mature as a jockey over the years, but starting out it can be very tough.
“From a mental health point of view, it’s about keeping everything as stable in your life as you can while this is all going on and surrounding yourself with good people.”
Whatever Doyle does, it is working. He has now ridden 33 top level winners, the latest being Old Persian in Canada.
In typical fashion, the very next day he steered Ispolini to win the German St Leger in Dortmund.
But, it’s not always plain sailing and Doyle mentions his Falmouth Stakes defeat on One Master when things took a turn on Twitter.
He continued: “Where there is gambling involved you’re going to have people talking through their pockets and understandably so to an extent.
“If a jockey messes up, everyone is entitled to their opinion with things, sometimes it’s good and sometimes it can obviously be bad. You learn to take the rough with the smooth.
“The one I got the most abuse for was definitely the Falmouth second on One Master, that was the worst it’s ever been. Personally I think it wasn’t justified but that’s the way of the world.”
Jockeys can spend most of their days travelling and the lure of social media can be hard to turn down on those long schleps between tracks.
Doyle knows the positives it brings and the new generation are using it to their advantage, even if not all find it so rosy.
“I know there are a few jockeys that have struggled with reading things online about their riding,” Doyle added.
“I’ve never been tempted to delete my accounts, but I’ve had some nasty things said that I won’t repeat.
“There are certainly lads that take it personally and it really does get to some people and they do struggle with it.
“But then again, loads of young jockeys and trainers are using it to make names for themselves, it can be a very useful tool as well.”
The one positive racing does ensure is that jockeys usually have the chance to bounce straight back when they feel they have made an error.
The half an hour gap between races is miles from the week between football matches or even monthly gaps between athletic meets.
Doyle explained: “It’s interesting because if one ride goes slightly wrong or you make the wrong decision, instead of dwelling on it, you can jump straight back out there.
“If you’re lucky enough to be busy, you can go from the villain to a hero in an instant.”
QIPCO British Champions Day takes place at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 19th October. For tickets go to britishchampionsday.com
