'I joined Wathnan to have a chance of winning races like this' - James Doyle buoyant after spin on Jockey Club hope Fast Tracker

James Doyle is looking forward to a first Classic ride in the silks of Wathnan Racing in Sunday's Qatar Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly, describing the assignment on second-favourite Fast Tracker as emblematic of his reasons for joining the outfit.

Doyle made a lightning visit to trainer Alex Pantall's base at Beaupreau near Nantes in the west of France to ride Fast Tracker on Tuesday morning, and was delighted by what he discovered.

"It wasn’t an exercise to test his ability, it was just a case of letting him stretch his legs and for me to get a feel of him," said Doyle. "It’s hard not to be pleased with him. He’s a very straightforward character and nice and relaxed. 

"We just slipped along up the straight for a couple of furlongs and he dropped down nicely and was very well balanced. It was all very positive."

Fast Tracker has more than halved in price for France's version of the Derby in the ten days since his purchase by Wathnan was made public and is now a 9-2 chance with Coral, who make Diego Velazquez their 4-1 market leader. 

The son of Churchill stormed to a seven-length success in last month's Prix de Suresnes, which has been won by both Sottsass and Ace Impact in the last five years. That came on ground on the easy side but Doyle does not feel Fast Tracker is particularly ground dependent. 

"I think he’d be quite versatile," said Doyle. "He won on quite testing ground in Chantilly and he coped with it fine. But speaking to Alex, he seems to think he’ll be just as effective, if not better, if it turned up quicker. There’s a wet forecast so the odds of quick ground are probably quite slim."

Doyle's move to become first jockey to Wathnan was announced at the end of last October and this season's Guineas in Britain, France and Ireland have come and gone without the operation being represented in any of the mile Classics.

James Doyle: "It’s hard not to be pleased with Fast Tracker"Credit: Racing Post/Burton

Doyle said: "I joined Wathnan to have a chance of winning races like this and buying these exciting horses that go into a Classic with a legitimate chance. We have to wait for the field and the draw but he looks quite straightforward and feels that way, so hopefully the draw is not too much of a worry." 

Speaking on a France Galop media call, Pantall said of Fast Tracker: "With a big field likely he'll need to be able to take a position early but I'm very confident in his way of going about things. 

"He's very calm, he's an easy ride and he never pulls, so for a race like the Jockey Club you should be able to put him where you want to. If he gets out in front he might be capable of staying there, although ideally James would get a lead off two or three others."

Eighteen colts were left in the Jockey Club after Tuesday's second forfeit stage, with Ascot-bound Metropolitan taken out along with Arabic Legend and Borna.

Prix du Jockey-Club (Chantilly, Sunday)

Coral: 4 Diego Velazquez, 9-2 Fast Tracker, 6 Ghostwriter, 8 Look De Vega, 10 Sunway, 12 bar

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