Waiting in the peloton, Vadeni took the lead at the post for the last 400 meters then left his pursuers on the spot 100 meters from the goal to win very easily without his jockey needing to solicit him.
With a clenched fist and arm raised to the sky, Christophe Soumillon declared at the microphone of Equidia, with a smile on his lips: “When I saw that William Buick absolutely wanted to go in front, I waited. My horse has a little took the lead early and went completely flat. It’s impressive, I didn’t think he was going to do that.”
The Belgian jockey, who signs a 4th coronation in the race, hailed “a great victory” for the owner of the bay-coated horse, the Aga Khan, “who is not here today”. “He has trusted me for a very long time and allowed me to become who I am. I enjoy it!” he added, without forgetting to thank “the whole team” of Jean-Claude Rouget.
“There was no race. He rode him close to the lead and didn’t even push him. He’s a good horse. I knew it,” said Jean-Claude Rouget, the coach of Vadeni, who signed a 5th victory in this race and put an end to Anglo-Saxon hegemony by bringing the trophy back to France.
Second place went, five lengths further, to El Bodegon, an English horse ridden by jockey Ioritz Mendizabal, who had won the last two editions.
– The Modern Games third favorite –
“We are beaten by a very good horse but we are good second”, commented Ioritz Mendizabal, fairplay.
The English favorite Modern Games, main animator of the race relayed by the Irish Yoozuna, entrusted to the French Olivier Peslier, gave up the weapons in the middle of the straight line. Modern Games ridden by William Buick had to settle for 3rd place, a short neck behind El Bodegon.
In this classic race of 2,100 meters supporting the Quinté, 4th place was the prerogative of the colt Al Hakeem led by the Italian Cristian Demuro. The 5th place was awarded to the French Onesto (Stéphane Pasquier) and Vagalame (Maxime Guyon), who arrived exæquo.
Thanks to his victory, Vadeni offered the Aga Khan the sum of 857,100 euros. After the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the Prix du Jockey-Club is the best endowed race in France with 1.5 million euros in total allocation.
As for the continuation of Vadeni’s program, the new Prince of Chantilly, son of the stallion Churchill, the manager of the Aga Khan stable, Nemone Routh, estimated during a conference that he had “origins to hold the distance of 2,400 meters”. But she has not yet decided on her possible participation in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the first Sunday of October, run on the 2,400 meters of the main track.
The manager of the Aga Khan Studs, Georges Rimaud, stressed that “this victory is a pleasure for the Aga Khan and his daughter, Princess Zahra, because this year is the 100th anniversary of the stud farm. of the prince”.
The 182nd edition of this French Derby, sponsored by Qatar, is considered the most popular selection race in Europe and opens the doors to a career as a stallion.
