Opinion | French flair adds a dash of diversity

French jockeys speak about their sport sounding more like an artist than an athlete. “Mercurial” is often attached to their name and they have the reputation as having the best hands in the business. And while their influence in Hong Kong might not seem as strong as their southern hemisphere counterparts, at least in terms of numbers, they provide the crucial dash of flair that helps make racing here such a melting pot of styles and philosophies.

French guns-for-hire Olivier Peslier and Christophe Lemaire – and Belgian-born, but French-based Christophe Soumillon – are held in almost mythical regard by the local media, but it is their Hong Kong-based compatriots Gerald Mosse and Olivier Doleuze that give racing some much-needed diversity. The Europeans, but particularly the French, make the difference. Without them, the sport would be simply Australian racing exported to the East.

Gerald Mosse, who turned 45 on Thursday, has ridden in Hong Kong since 1992 and to talk racing with him is an illuminating and educational experience. Mosse, who won on Richard Gibson’s Full Value on Tuesday, has aspirations of being a trainer and when listening to him talk about horses you get a clear idea why.

Ask an Australian jockey about a race and they will typically provide a blow-by-blow account of where they wanted to be in the run, where they ended up and where their main dangers were in relation to them when turning for home. Ask Mosse, and the answer is a thought-provoking description of how the horse felt underneath him and an ensuing discussion about the horse’s behaviour, rhythm and breathing. He takes the long view of getting the horse to learn how to perform at his best consistently, not forcing it to do whatever it takes to win an individual race.

When he jumps the priority is helping a horse relax, while Australians and South Africans are typically taught to be in a pre-determined place in the field – preferably as close to the fence as possible, with cover. It’s something that matters more in Hong Kong’s fast-moving, but chess-like, tactical battles than in France, where the early stages of some staying events can look like a leisurely afternoon canter through the countryside and mid-race moves can be made in slow-motion.