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Christophe Soumillon is a superb talent who possesses a brilliant tactical mind, steely tenacity, and unwavering self-assuredness. He is a natural, balanced horseman with beautiful hands and tremendous technique, as well as a fierce drive, all of which, along with his ability to back himself through a race, make him one of the greatest jockeys of his era.

Christophe Soumillon, Thunder Snow

Christophe Soumillon was born in Schaerbeek on the outskirts of Brussels, Belgium, in 1981. His father Jean-Marc Soumillon was a jump jockey in Belgium and Christophe began riding in pony races from a young age.

He left Belgium for France at age 15 and defied the wishes of his mother Karin who wanted him to become a chef. Instead, he enrolled at the Moulin à Vent jockey academy in Gouvieux, near Chantilly. Apprenticed to Cedric Boutin, he rode his first winner at Maisons-Laffitte in late 1997 and was France’s champion apprentice in 1999. 

By the time he was 18, Soumillon had ridden his first Group winner; a year later, his first Group 1 success came aboard Vahorimix in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, the French 2,000 Guineas. He won the first of 10 French champion jockey titles – the Cravache d’Or – in 2003, and he has had two spells as the Aga Khan’s retained rider.

Jockey Christophe Soumillon

Soumillon has had many rivals during his career, both on home soil and in the biggest races abroad.

He had a storied rivalry with Christophe Lemaire, having been replaced as the Aga Khan’s stable jockey by Lemaire in 2009 before regaining the role in 2014. He also faced battles with Ioritz Mendizabal, Dominique Boeuf, Stéphane Pasquier, Maxime Guyon and Pierre-Charles Boudot in his quest for French champion jockey honours.

Frankie Dettori has long been a rival on the international stage, with the pair often labelled the two most charismatic jockeys in world racing.

Christophe Soumillon’s most memorable ride is perhaps his most famous defeat, when the enigmatic Japanese champion Orfevre seemed to throw away victory in the final strides of the 2012 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. 

Orfevre defeated in Arc

But he has ridden more than 140 Group 1 winners across 11 countries, as well as the 2010 Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil – the French Champion Hurdle – over jumps, so he has many great wins to choose from.

He displayed his brilliance aboard Epiphaneia in the Japan Cup, Vadeni in the Coral-Eclipse and Almanzor in the Champion Stakes. There was cheek aboard Dalakhani in the Prix du Jockey Club, waving his hand at his rivals in the closing stages as though he was mocking his beaten foes by imploring them to keep up with his crack colt. 

There was arrogance when he made what was interpreted as a crude gesture after winning the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Hurricane Run, one of many incidents that irretrievably soured his relationship with Andre Fabre. 

But the most memorable of all his wins has to be the tactical genius of Zarkava’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, when he extricated the champion filly from a tricky inside draw and a difficult position around the Longchamp dogleg to steer her to a famous success.

Zarkava, Christophe Soumillon

Soumillon attracted international headlines in 2022 when he threw up his right elbow and knocked rival jockey Rossa Ryan off his horse in an eventful G3 Prix Thomas Byron at Saint-Cloud.

His violent action earned him mainstream coverage and he lost his job as the Aga Khan’s number one rider for the second time. A 60-day suspension came and went, but that controversial moment in which his impulsive act endangered a fellow rider will always be associated with Soumillon.

Soumillon is an icon in Hong Kong courtesy of highly successful mid-season stints dating back to 2002.  

He has won 122 races in the city, including the Hong Kong Derby on Viva Pataca, the Hong Kong Miles on both Good Ba Ba and Admire Mars, a pair of Stewards’ Cups thanks to Bullish Luck and Good Ba Ba, and two Hong Kong Classic Miles with Thumbs Up and Beauty Flash. He has also won big races aboard horses like Gold-Fun, Super Kid and Joyful Winner.

Christophe Soumillon, Gold-Fun

Revered by punters, respected by his fellow riders, relentlessly chased by trainers and owners, he remains as popular as ever in the city.

His success in Hong Kong has also been matched right across Asia. He has won 98 races in the United Arab Emirates and 58 races in Japan, while he will retire as a perfect one-from-one in the now-defunct Singapore.

Christophe Soumillon

In late 2008, tensions from the Hong Kong Cup earlier in the day spilled over in a Tsim Sha Tsui nightclub. 

Described by Douglas Whyte as the “dirtiest race” in which he’d ridden, Soumillon aboard Bullish Luck kept Darren Beadman in a pocket on favourite Viva Pataca and ensured he did not get clear running until late. Viva Pataca’s trainer John Moore expressed outrage at Soumillon, accusing the rider of forcing his horse’s head inwards to deny Viva Pataca a run.

However, it was Moore’s son George who took things further, confronting Soumillon in the Sticky Fingers nightclub that evening before the jockey retaliated by headbutting the younger Moore. 

Months later, Soumillon lost his retained rider position with Aga Khan for the first time due to what was described as “difficult human relations” by the Imam’s team. That included a gibe at Fabre at a gala dinner, which was considered the final straw.

Jockey Christophe Soumillon

Soumillon is outspoken but deservedly so given his natural talent. He’s bold, he’s brash, he’s incredibly gifted. He finds a way to create headlines no matter the occasion. He is the Chicago Bulls at the peak of their powers, particularly at their late-1990s zenith.

Soumillon is married to Sophie Thalmann, who was crowned Miss France in 1998 and is a leading French broadcaster. The couple has three children: Charlie, Mika and Robin.

Brett Prebble: “He was strong, he was competitive and he rode tactically. He’d just do things that other jockeys wouldn’t do, like going to the outside fence. One of the wins that really stands out in my mind was Viva Pataca. He was a machine, one of the best weight-for-age horses in my time riding there, and he went to the outside fence (in the start before the Derby) and won by about 10 lengths. He ended up winning the Derby on him. He just did things that people weren’t doing, they were riding normally and he wasn’t the norm. People just didn’t take chances there because you were scrutinised, but he didn’t care. He’d come in for six weeks and tear the place apart.

“For a tall jockey too, he was balanced and strong. He was aggressive but in a calculated, aggressive way. He was still that beautiful horseman but he was strong in a finish, and the way he’d swap the whip from one hand to another was amazing. His balance was amazing. He’d ride down to the barriers with a horse playing up or he’d be going flat out and there’d be no irons, he’d be educating them going to the barriers and then he’d come out and win on them. He was probably the best jockey I ever rode against.” 

Andre Fabre: “Soumillon is a top-class jockey, but I blamed him a lot of times for killing the horses and for using his whip much too much. I told him many times and it was the main cause of me not using him as a jockey. He still uses the whip too much for my taste, but that is only my opinion and apparently some other trainers like it. To be fair, though, Soumillon is the least of my concerns. He is not a friend of mine, he never has been and he never will be. I don’t care at all.”

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