No One's Bullet Proof

The thing with surveys is that the questions are often as important as the answers. But no matter which way you look at it, the Turf Club’s questionnaire which threw up a result of 49 per cent of surveyed jockeys exhibiting symptoms of depression is startling. That’s twice the national average and almost twice the rate among elite athletes in other sports. So there’s an obvious question here for racing about the demands put on riders and how reasonable or otherwise they are.

The one thing that has to be said is that there are no definitive or easy answers. Depression is an insidious and often silent disease that can be hard to spot. If it was easy then Kieren Fallon would have been diagnosed a lot quicker than he was although Dr Adrian McGoldrick’s concession that it’s a reflection on the medical profession generally that it wasn’t picked up sooner is its own reflection on the Turf Club medical officer’s integrity and professionalism and why he is so well regarded.

On the back of Mark Enright’s admirable public admission of his struggle with depression, it is hugely encouraging that Horse Racing Ireland is funding a 24/7 helpline to allow people within the horse industry, and their families, make the first step and reach out for help if they feel they’re in difficulty. Fallon’s preparedness to allow his story go public is also a notably positive move by a man who can hardly have been feeling very positive about much until deciding to seek help.

If growing awareness of mental health issues is an absolute good thing then it surely still requires everyone within the racing industry to examine that 49 per cent statistic and ask why: because on the face of it, having half of an entire profession statistically vulnerable can hardly be coincidence. Is it, for instance, a reflection of the specific job demands, such as a constant fight with weight, or a reflection of the special character requirements needed to do such a singular job in the first place?

The sole certainty is that there are no definitive solutions. Making weight is always going to be a reality for jockeys no matter what. And riding horses is always going to be inherently dangerous with only those possessed of rare nerve capable of doing it well over a sustained period of time. There is also the reality that racing, for such a self-consciously tough game, is also notoriously fickle and fashion-led. That’s a combination that often leaves people feeling they have to present an invulnerable exterior while actually feeling very vulnerable indeed.

Maybe Johnny Murtagh, a man who has faced down his own issues in the past, put it best when pointing out that no one is bullet-proof: the culture change involved in properly acknowledging that is a long term project. In the short term though, that 49 per cent stat will continue to make for desperately uncomfortable reading.

The potential physical toll on jockeys every time they go out to race is glaringly obvious in comparison which is why there has been such widespread happiness in regard to Robbie McNamara’s spectacularly successful start as a trainer. The popular former jockey’s return to the winner’s enclosure following the life-changing fall which left him paralysed has been notable for the fortitude McNamara has exhibited throughout.

As a rider he was exceptional for his height but also for the rare style and ability he managed to show in the saddle despite being well over six feet tall. Saddling two winners on his first day with runners indicates McNamara’s exceptional days may only be beginning.

Onto much more trivial stuff and considering the dramatic Derby day attendance dip there might be little more trivial than the calendar scheduling of the latest Curragh classic, the Oaks.

This is the fourth time the fillies classic will be the run on a Saturday evening. It was originally moved to that slot in 2013, a year after the Derby’s original Saturday evening had initially yielded results in terms of profile and attendance as well as avoiding potential clashes with other sporting occasions. At the time it was also argued that the Derby is viewed as a social occasion with more people likely to go racing on a Saturday rather than face work a day later.

With the best will in the world however such considerations hardly come into the Oaks equation. It has been pointed out more than once to this space that the Curragh are shooting themselves in the foot by running this particular classic on a Saturday evening.

And with the best will in the world too there’s probably a large dollop of wishful thinking in the idea that moving it back to a Sunday will boost either attendance or profile. Such a switchback could have repercussions in terms of TV coverage although with only two weeks between the Derby and the Oaks in 2017, and a possible Saturday clash with the July Cup, also sponsored by Darley, a certain scheduling flexibility might have to be arranged sooner rather than later.

If some appear willing to put a positive light on Air Force Blue’s lack-lustre July Cup effort, most will still feel it is case-closed. Maybe his home work at Ballydoyle is still superb but after three races in 2016 he now looks another one of those juvenile champions that fails to live up to expectations — hardly a lonely category.

Those who nodded meaningfully when noting the first-time tongue-strap declared in the 2,000 Guineas have also been probably doing the same about the relative lack of market enthusiasm for Air Force Blue in all three of his starts this year. Others amongst the Ballydoyle raiding party at last week’s July meeting were backed significantly; Air Force Blue wasn’t, and it won’t be the last time that tells a story.

Sole Power ran well enough in the July Cup to suggest he may not be a spent force just yet. It was a 29th Group 1 start for the former Horse of the Year, a statistic you suspect which would generate a lot more sentiment if he was a National Hunt stayer rather than a sprinter. Whatever your prejudice however there’s no doubt Eddie Lynam’s stalwart is a remarkable performer.