Waiting within the peloton, Vadeni took the advantage 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 what 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 head and didn’t even push him. He’s a good horse. I knew it,” said Jean-Claude Rouget, l coach of Vadeni who signs a 5th victory in this race and puts an end to Anglo-Saxon hegemony by bringing the trophy back to France.
Second place went to El Bodegon, an English horse ridden by Ioritz Mendizabal. The English favorite Modern Games, host of the race, finished 3rd under the saddle of William Buick.
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.
The 182nd edition of this French Derby, considered the most popular selection race in Europe and sponsored by Qatar, which opens the doors to the winners for a career as a stallion, opposed fifteen three-year-old thoroughbred babies in soft ground.
