By Tom Frary
Juddmonte's Sunly had looked one to follow when going two-for-two in the Listed Prix de la Seine and stayed on the rise with a smooth win in the G3 Prix de Royaumont at Chantilly on Sunday. Always travelling easily for Christophe Soumillon, the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained daughter of Night Of Thunder took control a furlong from home en route to a 2 1/2-length success from Cloth Of Stars's Indalimos.
In doing so, the 9-10 favourite was completing a family Group 3 weekend double following the exploits of the sire's equally-exciting Estrange at Haydock on Saturday. The operation's Barry Mahon said, “She was very impressive and in fairness to Francis he has always held her in high regard, even last year as a two-year-old. She didn't get to the racetrack, but he said she would be a good filly. I asked Christophe about going further and he said a mile and a half is good, that she relaxes well and accelerates well and not to change things at the minute.”
“She has options and if she came out of it well she could go for the [G2] Ribblesdale and if she needed a bit more time she could go for the [G1] Irish Oaks,” he added. “There's also a race in France a bit later on so she has plenty of options and let's see how she comes out of it, but she looks to have a big future.”
A filly going places!
Sunly proves a class above in the Group Three Prix de Royaumont at Chantilly! 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/FAMzhDYsCz
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 1, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Sunly is the fourth foal out of the talented Suffused, whose career tally included wins in the GIII Glens Falls Stakes, the GIII La Prevoyante Handicap and GIII The Very One Stakes and a runner-up finish in the GI E. P. Taylor Stakes. She is out of the Listed-placed Scuffle, a half-sister to Cityscape and Bated Breath whose progeny are headed by Frankel's G1 St Leger hero Logician and who is also the second dam of Caravaggio's dual GI Diana Stakes heroine Whitebeam and the aforementioned Estrange who was so impressive in Saturday's G3 Lester Piggott Fillies Stakes. Her 2-year-old colt Parisian Scholar is by Study Of Man, while she also has a yearling colt by Kingman.
Sunday, Chantilly, France
PRIX DE ROYAUMONT-G3, €80,000, Chantilly, 6-1, 3yo, f, 12fT, 2:27.76, gd.
1–SUNLY (GB), 123, f, 3, by Night Of Thunder (Ire)
1st Dam: Suffused (GB) (MGSW-US, GISP-Can & SP-Eng, $697,248), by Champs Elysees (GB)
2nd Dam: Scuffle (GB), by Daylami (Ire)
3rd Dam: Tantina, by Distant View
1ST GROUP WIN. O-Juddmonte Farms Inc; B-Juddmonte Farms Ireland Ltd; T-Francis-Henri Graffard; J-Christophe Soumillon. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, €81,000. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Indalimos (Fr), 123, f, 3, Cloth Of Stars (Ire)–Lucy The Painter (Ire), by Excellent Art (GB). (€12,000 RNA Ylg '23 ARQFEB; €47,000 Ylg '23 ARQOCT). O-Yves Burrus; B-John Plowden Carrington; T-Andre Fabre. €16,000.
3–Eleganz (Ire), 123, f, 3, Adlerflug (Ger)–Kizingo (Ire), by Oasis Dream (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€300,000 Ylg '23 BBAGS). O-Imad Al Sagar; B-Gestut Rottgen; T-Andre Fabre. €12,000.
Margins: 2HF, SNK, NK. Odds: 0.90, 6.40, 8.10.
Also Ran: Ginalyah (Ire), Rabbit's Foot (Fr), Secret Of Love (GB), Zakharova (Fr), Konada (Fr).
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