Benoit de la Sayette is an English-born flat racing

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

, who was

British flat racing Champion Apprentice The flat racing Champion Jockey and Champion Apprentice titles are awarded annually to the jockey(s) and apprentice(s) respectively that have ridden the most winners (both turf and all-weather) in Great Britain during a set period or championship ...

in 2022. He has been apprentice to

John Gosden John Harry Martin Gosden (born 30 March 1951) is a British Horse trainer, racehorse trainer. He has trained over 3,000 winners worldwide, including victories in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Epsom Derby, Derby, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, A ...

and is also associated with the stables of David Menuisier and Kevin Philippart De Foy.

Career

De la Sayette is the son of Geoffroy de la Sayette, who rode about 250 winners in his native France and was a work rider for Godolphin, partnering champion racehorse Swain in the mid-90s. He was also a work rider for

James Fanshawe James Fanshawe is a British racehorse trainer. Based at Pegasus Stables in Newmarket, he has saddled 26 Group 1 winners. Although training horses mainly on the flat, he holds a dual licence and trained two winners of the Champion Hurdle. Back ...

and it was during a visit to the stables with his father that Benoit first sat on a racehorse properly. He also took part in pony racing and, while never a champion, it gave him a good grounding. His father sent him to France, more to learn the language than to race, but he spent five summers pony racing there and claimed that the style of racing in France, where the ponies are of a similar standard, taught him more than he would have learnt in England. Through his father's connection with the travelling head lad, he was able to get work experience at

's yard, after which he was invited to become his apprentice - the first apprentice that the trainer had hired in 30 years. Before starting, he completed his GCSEs and completed a four week course at the

British Racing School The British Racing School is one of the two racing schools in the United Kingdom. Established in 1983, it is a charitable trust providing training for young people working in the horse racing industry. The school is based in Newmarket, Suffolk, an ...

. His first five rides came during the COVID-affected season of 2020. His first was at

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

in November. and his first victory was on Hint Of Stars at

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

in December for Kevin Philippart De Foy. Afterwards, Fanshawe called him "a very serious kid who has very good hands when he rides. He's a top horseman and was born to be a top jockey." In 2021, he won 11 of his 44 races including a first major success in the

Lincoln Handicap The Lincoln Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Doncaster in late Marc ...

- his first race on turf - riding Haqeeqy for Gosden, but he was banned for six months after failing a drugs test. He returned to riding in 2022 and took the Apprentice Championship after a close fought battle with Harry Davies, eventually coming out on top with 67 wins. His victories included wins on Trawlerman (for Gosden) and Caius Chorister (for Menuisier) at

Glorious Goodwood Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in late ...

and the Victoria Cup at

Ascot Ascot, Ascott or Askot may refer to: Places Australia * Ascot, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane * Ascot, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a locality * Ascot Park, South Australia, suburb of Adelaide * Ascot (Ballarat), town near Ballarat in Victoria ...

in May. He started 2023 in style, again taking the

, this time on Migration for Menuisier. In May, he rode out his claim when he secured his 95th winner on Spit Spot at Chelmsford, winning the apprentice handicap by a head.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:de la Sayette, Benoit Year of birth missing (living people) Living people English jockeys British Champion apprentice jockeys Lester Award winners

Career

See also

References