Ben Jones weekend blog: 'I think a break would be good for everyone'

In his latest Ladbrokes ambassador blog, Ben Jones reflects on how a short January break could benefit racing amid winter disruptions, before giving an update on his exciting Cheltenham Gold Cup prospects with The Jukebox Man and Handstands.

Does racing need a break in January?

A few of us went skiing from Saturday for a few days - that was a good buzz and a good bit of craic, and I definitely feel better for the break. Obviously there are injury risks attached to skiing but that's what we thrive off; we don't have much common sense! Anything to do with a bit of speed and not much control, that's what we like. I did ask Ben [Pauling] if I could go and he told me to crack on. There was one meeting which was a bit up in the air, but it never went ahead anyway, so we didn't miss anything, so it was all good. 

We're all pretty bang average skiers, to be honest. Sammy Twiston-Davies and Woodsy [Kielan Woods] are pretty good, Tom Cannon is very good. Liam Harrison is a very bad skier, but this was his first go - he wasn't in any control at all - I think he wiped out a couple of the school kids while we were out there!

We're always talking, between us, about this period, where there's so much racing after Christmas, but so many meetings getting abandoned. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to ride in three-horse races because there's not much competition, but obviously such small fields aren't good for the sport, or for people following. A break would do no harm, in my opinion, for the sport. I know the BHA are trying to get more meetings on, like Ffos Las was an added fixture on Thursday. I just don't think there's a need for so much racing after the Christmas period.

We don't know any different, really, because it's always been the way. But when we do get a break - even just those four days I've just had - it's surprising how much it recharges your batteries. Fair enough, we went on a skiing trip, so we weren't exactly relaxing, but you're away from the sport, you're not going through declarations, or going through entries. You're not worried about what you're riding, where you're riding, or how you're getting there. 

I think a break would be good for everyone, really; I know a good few trainers went on holiday as well. A little break does no harm. You know, it's Thursday now and Kempton isn't looking good this weekend already. For me, that means if Kempton isn't on, I'll probably have four or five at Warwick, so in that sense I'm fine because I know I'm going to be riding somewhere. It's just not knowing where I'm going to be. If there was a set break across the sport, you could chill out completely. When we went away just now, a few of us were down to ride somewhere where we knew it was almost definitely going to be called off, but there's always that 1% chance it's still on - and so in that respect it's just in the back of your mind all the time, so you don't really get to relax or stop thinking about it, which would be the case if there was a set break. 

As far as the issues it causes for your normal working regime, realistically it's more of a problem for the staff at home more than us, really. We kind of know what's going on and what's likely to happen, but you've got staff who are working probably three times as hard as we are, who want to know what's going on. You know, when we were enjoying ourselves skiing, there were a lot of the team still working harder than ever in the snow to keep things ticking over. And then of course you've got the horses themselves, who might have had certain races in mind - the weather can impact those plans. But the main ones are the owners; you know, they're the main priority, really. They're paying all of the bills and whatnot, so they might be trying to figure things out to take the time off to go and watch their horse race, but there's no guarantee of that happening, and so they've got to leave everything until the last minute, by which point everything is more expensive. You know, it affects everyone. 

Obviously, no one can tell what the weather is going to do, so it's no one's fault in that sense. But if there was a set four or five day break, then everyone would know that, come the festive period, we've got four or five days off in the new year, and you can plan accordingly, and I think everyone would be a lot happier for it. 

Cheltenham Gold Cup: Handstands or The Jukebox Man?

Well The Jukebox Man will definitely go straight to the Gold Cup. Handstands will run at Windsor a week on Saturday, and depending on how he runs there, he'll go for either the Ryanair or the Gold Cup. Leading up to Cheltenham, obviously it's a very exciting time, and it's a much more exciting time when you're going there with horses that have got a chance. There's nothing worse than being there just to take part. You know, there's nothing more demoralising than turning up the hill at Cheltenham and seeing everyone either passing you or pulling away, and you know you can't keep up. It's a great place to be when everything is going right, but it's a bad place to be when it's not.

It would be the first time in their careers that The Jukebox Man and Handstands will have gone up against each other. We've managed to keep them apart up to this point, and so I'm hoping Ben can find a way to run them separately, but I don't think the Gold Cup is going to split, for some reason! It's still a long way away, and anything can happen; we're just taking each week as it comes and when we're a few days out, we can start getting excited about it.

In terms of a preferred ride, it's going to be very hard to get off the King George winner. Everything that's running in the Gold Cup, more or less, was in the King George. A lot is going to depend on how Handstands runs on the next day; that will make my choice a lot easier... or it could make it a lot harder!

Look, it's a good position to be in; I've never ridden in the Gold Cup, so to have one or two options is obviously great for me. I just don't want to be picking the wrong one!

I do have to stop and reflect though; a few years ago if you'd have told me I'd have the choice of two great horses in the Gold Cup, that's exactly what I would have wanted. You know, you want to ask yourself those hard questions; you want to sit down and go through it all, and figure out which one is best for you. But, like I said, it's a long time away. When we get a week out, and they're still in good form and both heading for it, then I'll make my decision.

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