Soumillon’s Eclipse Ban Reduced To Eight Days

Jockey Christophe Soumillon has had his twelve-day suspension for careless riding in the G1 Coral-Eclipse S. reduced to eight days following an appeal hearing on Thursday. On board Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}), the pair cut across and impeded the third- and fourth-placed finishers William Buick on Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) for Charlie Appleby and James Doyle on Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) for John and Thady Gosden after the winning post, as Soumillon celebrated. The stewards reviewed the race and subsequently handed out their suspension.

Soumillon, speaking via a Zoom call from France on Thursday, said, “Like I said to the stewards straight away after the race, and seeing the images again today, you can see that I made a mistake, that's for sure.

“I didn't know how many horses were on my inside. We have seen the videos at quarter speed, but the thing you have to remember is I'm riding at full speed, and I never saw that between Mr Buick and the rail there was Mr Doyle. I should probably look, but I didn't.

“For sure the images after the line are not good, not for racing and not for myself, but nothing was done on purpose, and I really try to give my sport the best image I can.

“For me it was the chance for one of the biggest days of my career, as it is not easy for a 3-year-old colt coming from France to win one of the hardest races in the UK. This race wasn't won by a French horse for 60 years and probably I over-celebrated the moment. My kids were there and there was a lot of emotion for me that day.”

He added, “The day after the race I called Mr Appleby and Mr [John)] Gosden for news about the horses and I know both horses were doing well after the race, so that was a relief as if I heard one of these champions had got hurt from one of my little mistakes, it would have been very hard for me to understand.

“The suspension is probably the hardest I have had in my career. I'm not somebody who puts my colleagues in danger in any part of the race.

“Twelve days is probably a hundred rides for me as I'm riding eight races a day. If you have to give me a suspension I can accept it, but I don't think it was that bad on the day–I think it was very severe for somebody who didn't do it on purpose.

“I think I was professional for 99.8% of the race. Unfortunately, for three strides I wasn't completely concentrated, and that little fraction makes it look worse than what it really is.”

Disciplinary Panel Chairman James O'Mahony confirmed the suspension would be reduced, and said, “He said, “Generally, of course, Monsieur Soumillon is a much-respected horseman and jockey and as can be expected of him, he addressed us with courtesy and realism, accepting what he had done is wrong and we detected significant remorse.

“There's a lot of common ground here. This is careless riding, no one suggests otherwise, the interference was considerable, no one suggests otherwise, and there was irresponsible behaviour, as Monsieur Soumillon has accepted.

“But and there is a big but, there is in this case a very significant safety risk and Mr. Soumillon and Vadeni are included in this. Mercifully, nobody went down and there were no injuries.

“The actual time of which his riding of the horse can be considered irresponsible and indeed careless was very short. Considering all these matters and bearing in mind the mitigation and the aggravating factors, we're going to allow the appeal and do feel the sentence was too severe.

“The panel order that the period of suspension should be one of eight days, thus the appeal succeeds.”

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Yibir Back To Winning Ways In The Princess Of Wales

Back at the July Festival at which he first showed his hand 12 months ago, Godolphin's Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) benefitted from an ultra-cool William Buick ride to arrest a brief recent decline in Friday's G2 Princess Of Wales's Close Brothers S. at Newmarket. Upset by Living Legend (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) when second in the G2 Jockey Club S. on the Rowley Mile here Apr. 29 before finishing a deflating third in the May 14 GI Man o'War S., the reigning Breeders' Cup Turf hero had it to prove returned to the scene of his G3 Bahrain Trophy win at last year's meeting. Sent off the 11-8 joint-favourite alongside the ultimately disappointing Mostahdaf (GB) (Frankel {GB}), the Charlie Appleby stable stalwart made his customary move from rear under the exaggerated hold-up tactics that suit to well to pick up Living Legend a furlong out and register a 2 1/4-length success. “Shane Fetherstonhaugh has been on about him for the last 10 days saying he is as good as we have had him,” Appleby explained. “He looked a picture in the paddock today and has been moving so well at home.”

 

Yibir, who is set to ship to the States again for his next outing, has come a long way since this riding ploy paid off so handsomely in the card's 13-furlong Bahrain Trophy in 2021. After garnering the Breeders' Cup Turf, Jockey Club Derby Invitational and G2 Great Voltigeur S. later that term he put one of his finest efforts to finish second off a slow pace in the Mar. 26 G1 Dubai Sheema Classic prior to his two reversals. “William just said that when he has a pace to run at, he is a different animal,” his trainer added. “People on the outside may have been scratching their heads wondering what has been going on, but he needs a gallop. He's a big unit and if you take a pull on him he just gets a bit disorganised and then it takes him a little while to get warmed up.”

“Hopefully now we'll head to Saratoga for the Sword Dancer,” Appleby concluded. “All roads are leading to the Breeders' Cup, but it's at Keeneland this year and it can come up soft there. One thing he does like is to hear his feet rattle, so if it came up a bit slow we might have to think about it, but it's great he's got his head back in front.”

Yibir's dam, the Listed Lord Weinstock Memorial S. scorer Rumh (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), is also responsible for Dubawi's G1 Nassau S., G1 Prix de l'Opera and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Wild Illusion (GB), the Listed Montrose Fillies' S. scorer Really Special (GB) (Shamardal) and the G3 Prix d'Aumale runner-up Ceratonia (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). The second dam is the G3 Preis der Winterkonigin winner Royal Dubai (Ger) (Dashing Blade {GB}), a half to the GI Beverly D. heroine Royal Highness (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). Also connected to the G1 Dubai World Cup and G1 Juddmonte International hero Electrocutionist (Red Ransom), Rumh's useful 3-year-old full-brother to the winner and Wild Illusion, Wild Crusade (GB), has also been gelded while she also has a 2-year-old colt by Golden Horn (GB) and a colt foal by Sea The Stars (Ire).

Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
PRINCESS OF WALES'S CLOSE BROTHERS S.-G2, £115,000, Newmarket, 7-7, 3yo/up, 12fT, 2:28.91, g/f.
1–YIBIR (GB), 134, g, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
     1st Dam: Rumh (Ger) (SW-Eng), by Monsun (Ger)
     2nd Dam: Royal Dubai (Ger), by Dashing Blade (GB)
     3rd Dam: Reem Dubai (Ire), by Nashwan
O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £65,217. Lifetime Record: Ch. Turf Male-US, GISW-US & G1SP-UAE, 16-7-3-3, $4,274,138. *1/2 to Really Special (GB) (Shamardal), SW-Eng, SP-UAE, $108,180; Full to Wild Illusion (GB), G1SW-Eng, MG1SW-Fr, GISP-US, $1,590,217. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Living Legend (Ire), 137, g, 6, Camelot (GB)–Jazz Girl (Ire), by Johar. (€25,000 RNA Ylg '17 GOFFEB; 22,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT). O-Barbara & Alick Richmond; B-A Oliver (IRE); T-Charlie & Mark Johnston. £24,725.
3–Global Storm (Ire), 134, g, 5, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Travel, by Street Cry (Ire). (200,000gns Wlg '17 TATFOA; 260,000gns 2yo '19 TATBRE). O-Godolphin; B-Grenane House Stud (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £12,374.
Margins: 2 1/4, NK, 6. Odds: 1.38, 18.00, 16.00.
Also Ran: New Mandate (Ire), West End Charmer (Ire), Mostahdaf (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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The Major Talking Points From Day Five At Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot 2022 had everything and from Ryan Moore playing with his rivals like a cat does with a mouse, to Charlie Appleby revealing he is eyeing a tilt at the A$10-million Golden Eagle with Noble Truth (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) after the gelding won the G3 Jersey S., the fifth and final day generated many more talking points.

Brian Sheerin has been digesting the action for the week and is back once again to flesh out the major takeaways from Saturday's action.

 

Appleby Bidding To Snare The Eagle With Noble Truth

The Aussies spent the week frightening the daylights out of anyone with a top-class sprinter in their stable. Everyone bar Charlie Appleby that is.

Chris Waller's Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) made the opposition look ordinary when winning the G1 King's Stand S. on Tuesday and, prior to Home Affairs (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) disappointing in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S., Appleby revealed that he would like to run G3 Jersey S. winner Noble Truth in Australia later this year.

Appleby deservedly carries a reputation for being one of the best in the business at travelling horses across the globe and hinted at an audacious tilt at the A$10-million Golden Eagle for Noble Truth on Oct. 29.

“I've been trying to find a horse for the Golden Eagle in Australia and he might just be ticking a few boxes for that,” he said after the race.

We have become accustomed to Australian sprinters landing big-race riches in Europe but few trainers would entertain the idea of taking on monsters like Nature Strip in their own back garden.

Luckily for us, Appleby is not like most trainers. It will be some spectacle if he can get Noble Truth to the Golden Eagle.

 

O'Donoghue Does A Sterling Job With Pearling Path

Imagine being brave enough to bring a horse to Royal Ascot in your first season holding a trainer's licence and, despite the market underestimating your judgment by sending it off a rank outsider at odds of 80-1, he goes on to run a cracker to finish second.

It would be an achievement worthy of some acknowledgement, wouldn't you think? Well ITV Racing didn't feel any need to cast any spotlight towards John O'Donoghue, who achieved just that, when Pearling Path (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) ran a fine second in the Listed Chesham S.

O'Donoghue, who took up residency at John Oxx's legendary Currabeg Stables this year, has enjoyed a respectable start as a trainer, sending out a couple of winners domestically, of which, Pearling Path was one.

Pearling Path looked home for all money in the Chesham but possibly downed tools a little when he was left in front a little longer than ideal.

In many ways, Pearling Path snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and, while the defeat would have been painful for connections, O'Donoghue can hold his head high in defeat and is sure to be grabbing headlines before long.

Given the winner, Holloway Boy (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), was winning the race on debut, it may go some way in explaining why O'Donoghue got no love in the press.

Interestingly, Holloway Boy's sister, Oppressive (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) (lot 173), who failed to win in four starts last year, will be on offer at the July Sale at Tattersalls next month. Talk about a timely boost.

 

The Good, Bad And Ugly

Jockey form was one of the major talking points of the week and Ryan Moore confirmed himself the undisputed top dog in the weighroom by giving Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) a masterclass to win the G2 Hardwicke S. before delivering Rohaan (Ire) (Mayson {GB}) with a well-timed run to bag the Wokingham S. on Saturday.

Both rides were absolutely top drawer and a lot of people will argue that Moore made the difference aboard Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Gold Cup on Thursday as well.

His ride aboard Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), albeit there was an element of luck involved given the runner-up wandered across the track, was also sublime.

It is not the first big meeting this season where Moore has been flawless, either, given that he bossed Chester and was also excellent aboard Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Oaks.

Frankie Dettori and Cieren Fallon endured contrasting fortunes this week, which generated just as much chatter as Moore's brilliance did, possibly driven by their respective trainers' reaction to the mishaps.

John Gosden criticised the legendary jockey for an “overcomplicated ride” on Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the Gold Cup and added that Dettori “should have won”.

Meanwhile, William Haggas defended Fallon for his ride aboard Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio) in the G1 St James's Palace S., saying, “we must not lambast him.”

Dettori is obviously one of the most experienced practitioners of his craft while Fallon has many years ahead of him but it was fascinating to see the contrasting reactions from Gosden and Haggas to the hands that they were dealt this week.

 

Ascot Eye-Catchers

There were a number of eye-catchers this week, none more so than Maljoom in the St. James's Palace S., and he will need to be respected in all of the top mile races going forward. An unlucky fourth on Tuesday, he could be an interesting horse with a view towards the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood.

Twilight Calls (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) may not have been able to land a glove on Nature Strip when chasing that rival home in the G1 King's Stand S., but he enhanced his reputation in defeat and will be interesting in some of the top sprints as well.

Burning Victory (Fr) (Nathaniel {Ire}) has been held back by her jumping in the National Hunt sphere but showed she has a pretty big engine when finishing fourth, beaten a little over a length, in the G1 Gold Cup.

That represented a major step forward on all known form and, given that Willie Mullins does exceptionally well with these dual-purpose horses, she could be interesting with a view towards the G1 Irish St Leger, a race he won with Wicklow Brave (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}).

Saga (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was an unlucky loser in the Britannia and remains an interesting horse while Sun King (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) looks extremely well-handicapped off 89 and ran well from a bad draw to finish third in the Golden Gates S.

 

Poor Prize-Money 

Few will have sympathy for anyone wealthy enough to own racehorses running at Royal Ascot but the fact that there was only £11,190 on offer for finishing third in the Chesham S. does not make sense.

Royal Ascot is meant to be the biggest stage and connections of Lakota Sioux (Ire) (Sioux Nation), who filled the third spot, deserved more for that effort than what they'd pick up for winning a nursery.

The prize-money in Ireland is not much better, and it couldn't be better illustrated through the former Ger Lyons-trained Masen (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who duly won the $250,000 GIII Poker S. at Belmont Park Stateside on Saturday afternoon.

Masen was a good horse for Lyons, and won a €125,000 premier handicap on Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown before picking up just €22,500 for landing the Listed Knockaire S. at that track on his final start in Ireland last term.

Compare that to the $137,500 Masen picked up when successful at Belmont on Saturday, it simply doesn't make sense to keep horses of his standard in training in Ireland where the opportunity to run for big money is elsewhere.

The lure of having runners at these meetings is obviously huge but, when owners are lucky enough to come across horses to run at meetings like Royal Ascot, the prize-money should at least be adequate.

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Kingman’s Noble Truth Takes The Jersey

Saturday's G3 Jersey S. had a familiar feel, with last year's winning combination Charlie Appleby and William Buick again prevailing with Noble Truth (Fr) (Kingman {GB}). Successful in the Listed Flying Scotsman S. and runner-up in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere last term, the 4-1 favourite who was last seen registering a six-length win in Newmarket's Listed King Charles II S. over this seven-furlong trip Apr. 29 was out in front again from the break as he had been there. Passed for a period two out, the €450,000 Arqana August graduate was back in command heading to the furlong pole and stayed on strongly to score by a length from the slow-starting Find (GB) (Frankel {GB}), with Dubai Poet (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) a neck away in third. “I've been looking for a horse for the Golden Eagle at Rosehill and he might be one for that,” Appleby said.

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