Social networks have changed our life and our habits.
They allow access to everything and everyone with one click.
While messages of sympathy can be sent to racing professionals, the vast majority of whom are present on the various media, other malicious ones also exist.
Pseudo-turfists can pour out their hatred after a losing bet by private message.
A new phenomenon, especially in the world of trotting.
"You big m ...", was addressed to the jockey and driver Adrien Lamy, who guarantees "to have dozens to share".
"You fat son of a bitch… Stop making fun of people with your m-drives…" was intended for a driver who prefers to remain anonymous.
Or again: "You want to scheming, well you're going to pay you dirty son of p ... I will catch you the day you come to run in Reims and you will reimburse ...": this is the content of another message received by a trainer based in the Paris region.
A message received by a trainer based in the Paris region.
DR
A multiple winner of Groups I (the most prestigious events) in Vincennes even confides: “I received losing tickets with insults at my home.
Suffice to say that I was surprised and worried.
"
"I hesitated to file a complaint"
Despite everything, none of them seems ready to report this intimidation on social networks (Facebook in particular) or to file a complaint out of spite of not seeing sanctions pronounced against these ill-intentioned people.
"I hesitated to do it", testifies a 28-year-old professional, after having received by message: "Little p ... When are you going to hit your horse?
Go hang yourself.
"
With video call attempts.
“It's getting worse and worse,” she laments.
I'm thinking of changing my name on Facebook.
Because of this, I no longer play the game of replying to messages even if they are positive.
You have to be well surrounded because you can quickly go wild.
"
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The virulence of the messages that have been sent to us is indeed destabilizing.
"It can be hurtful but you shouldn't pay attention to it," said the 20-year-old son of a great trainer.
“At the beginning, I tried to discuss and explain why it had gone wrong, says Mathieu Mottier.
But I realized that it was of no use, unfortunately.
"
Thomas Levesque, he replied in a tone of irony: "Now, I no longer answer!"
An attitude very often adopted.
And "we block the majority of them", according to most of our interlocutors.
"When the bettors lose, we too lose"
Coaches, jockeys or apprentices must therefore sometimes face insults and threats from disappointed punters on social networks.
"They are often modest players," we are told, while specifying that the amount of the stakes does not excuse everything.
“Sometimes we make mistakes so we accept being criticized.
These are the rules of the game, athletes are often taken to task and criticized by supporters ”, argue Alexandre Abrivard and Mathieu Mottier.
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But the latter specifies that it is "difficult to hear to have deliberately lost".
“It is necessary that the punters understand: when they lose, we too lose,” he continues.
Knowing that the resources of the jockeys depend on the allowances they win in the race.
On the racetracks, where the public could go before the health crisis, incidents or clashes between riders and professionals, however, remain quite rare.
“It happened to me a few times,” recalls one of the best jockeys in Vincennes.
In this case, I manage to bring the angry person to security so that the officers expel him from the racetrack.
"
“In Enghien, we pass the riders before and after the race in the roundabout,” said a trainer.
We are directly confronted with the public, but it is the configuration of the racetrack that wants that.
There are sometimes a few angry people who insult us or reproach us.
But overall it's going well.
"
