Soumillon doubles up in Classic trials
Christophe Soumillon warmed up for what the jockey hopes will be one of the most important months of his career when capturing both the Derby and Oaks Trials at Lingfield on Linda’s Lad and Sindirana.
Soumillon, who on Monday rides Derby favourite Visindar in his Classic trial at Saint-Cloud, put one on the board for that colt’s trainer Andre Fabre when guiding Linda’s Lad to a head success over Hazeymm in the totesport.com Derby trial.
Afterwards, the winner was cut to 16-1 from 25-1 for Epsom by Coral.
The race was marred by a fatal accident to Kieren Fallon’s mount Botteen, who broke a near fore in a fall just under two furlongs out and had to be put down.
However, at the business end of the contest Linda’s Lad, 15-8 favourite, was always going just the better than the second and it was five lengths back to the third, Baan.
Fabre was in France but winning owner Sean Mulryan was present along with his racing manager Herve Barjot, who said: “We are very happy with his performance and when we brought him here we knew he would operate well going left-handed and down a hill.
“He will improve for this as he needs racing to give him his fitness and we are very keen to run him in the Derby regardless of whether Visindar is also in the field.
“He is a totally different horse. He carries different colours and represents a different team. We would like Christophe to ride Linda’s Lad at Epsom but it is up to him and he will know more after he rides Visindar on Monday.”
Soumillon was impressed with his mount and said: “This horse likes to fight and wins by narrow margins. He is better going left-handed which is a good sign for Epsom and he’s a completely different type of horse to Visindar.
“Visindar has never seen anything in his life and has done everything very easily and I think we will know more about where we stand with him after he has run at Saint-Cloud.”
Linda’s Lad is a top-priced 25-1 for the Derby with totesport, while Ladbrokes and William Hill cut him to 20-1 from 40-1. Stan James are also 20-1 (from 33-1), with Paddy Power unchanged at 20-1.
The layers were unable to split Sindirana and her stablemate Shortest Day before the totescoop6 Oaks Trial.
The 7-4 joint-favourites fared in contrasting ways with Sindirana lurching home by a neck from Fusili under Soumillon, with Shortest Day in the ruck.
Sindirana impressed some bookmakers and not others.
She was cut to 8-1 from 16 for the Oaks by Ladbrokes; to 12-1 from 16s by Coral; to 14-1 from 16 by William Hill and to 10-1 from 14 by Paddy Power.
However, both Stan James and totesport left Sir Michael Stoute’s filly unchanged at 16-1 for Epsom.
Stoute hinted that Sindirana’s owner, the Aga Khan, would have only one runner in the Oaks and that may well be the trainer’s Pretty Polly Stakes winner Riyalma.
He said: “I felt Sindirana put up a workmanlike performance. She is rather delicate and just coming to herself. The other filly (Riyalma) may well go to Epsom and only one of them will do that.”
Soumillon said of his winner: “She’s not a very big filly but she buckled down well and gave it her best and she looks to be improving. It’s been a really important day for me winning the two trials here.”
The value of the form must be questionable considering that runner-up Fusili had finished second off a mark off 80 at Beverley. Emma Littmoden, wife of trainer Nick, said: “She is an absolute star. She is so honest and always runs her heart out. It was great to get some black type today.”
Stoute completed a short-priced double when Echelon, a heavily backed 8-15 favourite, took the totepool Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes by a length and a neck from Chantilly Beauty and Strut.
Fallon had to bide his time on Echelon but the filly was pulling away at the end and will now step up to a mile.
Chris Richardson, racing manager to owners the Cheveley Park Stud, said: “She’s a tough filly who has matured over the winter. This was her first time back and she strikes me as a similar progressive type to her half-sister Chic.
“She was just a little ring rusty but it’s nice that she is now a Group winner.”
Marcus Tregoning was distraught after the loss of Botteen but at least the victory of Alqaab in the totecourse to course Maiden Stakes softened the blow.
Tregoning said of the 8-1 winner: “He’s a big powerful horse and has needed educating. We lost a good horse today but at least his jockey was all right.”
Terry Mills had the answer to the Lingfield Park Trials Day Handicap when Didn’t We (7-2) made all under Ian Mongan to score by a length and three-quarters from Burning Incense.
