Christophe Soumillon

Coolmore and Westerberg's €1.7-million Arqana August sale topper Diamond Necklace (St Mark's Basilica) backed up a TDN Rising Star performance at the Curragh last month with a first black-type triumph in Saturday's Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes at Leopardstown. "I was quite confident when I saw the attitude she had going down to the start and she was really professional," said winning jockey Christophe Soumillon. "She was a little impatient in the stalls and didn't jump out properly. I had to change plans because she was quite far...

The Curragh's Group 1 bonanza on day two of Irish Champions Weekend has attracted an aggregate 38 declarations after final fields for the track's four elite-level contests were confirmed Friday morning. Illinois (Galileo), with Christophe Soumillon booked to ride, is one of two Aidan O'Brien entries, the other being Queenstown (Galileo), and heads a field of nine in the G1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger. The undefeated G2 King Edward VII Stakes victor Amiloc (Postponed) is one of three overseas nominees. Ballydoyle has three of the six runners, headed...

Tom Marquand has been confirmed as the partner of Goodwood Cup hero and ante-post favourite Scandinavia (Justify), who is set to head a field of seven in Saturday's G1 Betfred St Leger. With Ryan Moore on the sidelines and Wayne Lordan suspended, Sean Levey will partner dual Derby hero Lambourn (Australia) and Mickael Barzalona picks up the ride aboard Great Voltigeur fourth Stay True (Galileo). In addition to the Ballydoyle trio, Ireland is represented by Queen's Vase victor and Great Voltigeur runner-up Carmers (Wootton Bassett), who will be partnered by...

Aidan O'Brien outlined plans for some of his stable stars at a Ballydoyle open morning on Monday where it was revealed that Minnie Hauk would chart a direct path to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Christophe Soumillon was likely to fill in for the injured Ryan Moore.  It was announced on Saturday that Moore will be sidelined for an indefinite period of time after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his femur. Wayne Lordan is the yard's second rider, but he is currently due to be suspended...

Lightly-campaigned for a five-year-old, Haras de la Perelle's homebred Quisisana put yet another feather in the cap of the Stud and her high-achieving late sire Le Havre when taking Sunday's G1 Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville. Coming into the 10-furlong contest off a clear-cut win in Chantilly's Listed Prix de la Pepiniere, the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained 7-1 shot travelled smoothly for Christophe Soumillon and when given the command seized the advantage approaching the furlong marker. At the line, she had 1 3/4 lengths to spare over Survie (Churchill {Ire}), who was...

Last Sunday, Christophe Soumillon was doing what he has become famed for: riding a Group 1 winner. In this case it was Diego Velazquez in the Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques Le Marois for those celebrated racing names of Aidan O'Brien and Sam Sangster. Soumillon's name is of course equally celebrated, but as a young boy in Belgium, growing up riding ponies, the path to becoming a jockey wasn't always clear to him. To try to solve that problem for the budding riders coming up behind him, the ten-time champion...

Providing instant justification and reward for the investment by Sam Sangster Bloodstock, Ballydoyle's Diego Velazquez (Frankel) edged a thriller from Notable Speech (Dubawi) in Sunday's G1 The Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville. Always happy playing a prominent role away from the fence under Christophe Soumillon, the 12-1 shot stayed on to wrest the lead from Dancing Gemini (Camelot) with 100 metres remaining and found the line a head in front of the fast-closing Godolphin runner, who was 3/4 of a length behind in third. "He's always...

July Cup-winning Richard Hughes's breakthrough summer as a trainer got better on Thursday as Rose Ghaiyyath (Ghaiyyath) landed Deauville's valuable Arqana Series des Pouliches. Always prominent under Christophe Soumillon, Jaber Abdullah's 6-1 shot started to gain the upper hand inside the last 1 1/2 furlongs and clung on gamely to deny Zaravina (Zarak) by a short head for another British one-two in the card's sales races. Like the winner of the colt's equivalent, Northern Champion, Rose Ghaiyyath is a graduate of the Arqana May Breeze-Up, having cost €110,000. Her dam...

Providing an instant return on the investment of Resolute Bloodstock, Woodshauna (Wooded) was the one to edge a pulsating four-way go in Sunday's G1 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville. Sold for £625,000 at Goffs London by Al Shaqab following his defeat of the subsequent G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Time For Sandals in the six-furlong G3 Prix Texanita at Chantilly in May, the 12-1 shot was able to get between the tight gaps and seize the advantage late for Christophe Soumillon. "We decided to skip Ascot, as I wanted the horse...

Taking charge at Chantilly on Sunday, Christophe Soumillon supplemented his Diane success with the card's G3 Prix du Lys Longines as Rafale Design capped another stellar afternoon for the Belgian. Coming off a win in ParisLongchamp's G3 Prix Hocquart last month, the Yann Barberot-trained son of Starspangledbanner was launched from rear to swoop on Surabad (Bated Breath) and Oracle (Too Darn Hot) with 300 metres remaining and assert to beat that duo by two half-length margins. Entered in Monday's London Sale in Goffs, the G1 Grand Prix de Paris entry...

Francis-Henri Graffard looked set to have the one-two-three in Sunday's G1 Prix de Diane Longines heading to the closing stages, but while that didn't transpire France's pre-eminent trainer of 2025 was ultimately in the right place as Gezora (Almanzor) brought it home. Continuing the timeless love affair between American interests and French racing, the daughter of the 2006 Diane runner-up Germance proved strongest in the Chantilly Classic to complete the Saint-Alary-Diane double for Peter Brant's White Birch Farm. Sent off at 11-2 having upped her game last month at ParisLongchamp...

Returning to domestic duty after his Far Eastern ventures, last year's King George Hero Goliath (Adlerflug) cruised to a welcome facile win in Sunday's G3 La Coupe at ParisLongchamp. Sauntering to the front from the outset under Christophe Soumillon, the 9-10 favourite only had to stretch inside the last two furlongs to dispatch the filly Grand Stars (Sea The Stars) by 1 3/4 lengths. "We decided not to fight with him and let him be comfortable and when he's like that he's very good," trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said of Resolute...