Home win for Rouget

Homebound continued the fantastic run of form for Jean-Claude Rouget and Christophe Lemaire by taking the Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly today.

Following on from Group One successes for Elusive Wave, Never On Sunday and Stacelita recently, Rouget advertised the strength in depth of his fillies' department once more.

Having saddled the first two home in the French 1000 Guineas, Homebound is probably some way down the pecking order at Rouget's base but she was still good enough to hold off the less-experienced favourite Reggane to win a shade comfortably.

David Simcock's First City, third in the Nell Gwyn, cut no ice finishing eighth of the nine runners.

Richard Hughes produced a textbook ride on Richard Hannon's Scintillo to win the Group Two Grand Prix de Chantilly.

The race was run at crawl with Petrograd, pacemaker for the favourite Magadan, setting very slow fractions.

Hughes was content to sit right out the back with the jolly and arguably the slow pace suited the British raider even more.

When the race started in earnest in the straight the field bunched up but it was the Winter Derby winner who found the best turn of foot to hold off Chinchon with Magadan only third.

The teak-tough Tax Free survived a lengthy stewards' inquiry as he landed the biggest triumph of his career in battling back to win the Prix du Gros-Chene.

David Nicholls' seven-year-old, a close third behind Utmost Respect in the Duke Of York Stakes on his last start, was always near the scorching early pace set by Benbaun.

He took up the running a furlong out but Italian challenger Black Mambazo came with a challenge and headed the British raider.

However, Tax Free is as game as they come and responded in kind for Adrian Nicholls to win for the 14th time.

Marchand D'Or and Equiano were first and second in the race last year but filled the last two places this time.

The winner was cut to 10-1 from 16s by Victor Chandler for the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.