Goliath and Christophe Soumillon© Photo Healy Racing
Goliath produced a spectacular performance at Ascot to give France a first King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes winner since 2006.
Hurricane Run was the last Gallic raider to land this midsummer showpiece, but Francis-Henri Graffard’s four-year-old ended that drought in emphatic fashion.
Turning for home, the stage looked set for a battle between market principals Auguste Rodin and Rebel’s Romance, but it was soon apparent that Christophe Soumillon was cruising in behind on Goliath.
Runner-up in the Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal meeting, the 25-1 outsider responded immediately – and impressively – when asked to kick on, powering clear to win by two and a quarter lengths, with Bluestocking staying on for second.
Rebel’s Romance was well beaten in third, while it was not to be in this race again for fifth-placed Auguste Rodin.
Graffard said: “I know my horse likes running off a good pace and can quicken like this, so we came here to Ascot to find a strong pace, as last time at Royal Ascot he was still too keen.
“So, we were desperate for some pace but when I saw his big odds I thought ‘oh my God, nobody believes in him’.
“But he travelled so nicely and when he was like that, I knew he was able to quicken strongly.
“When you come and you are around 28-1, you feel you might look like a fool and you don’t want that, but I think some punters will be happy now.”
Hailing the display of Soumillon, the trainer added: “He’s just such a talented jockey, he never sat on the horse, but he galloped another horse the other day and this one was in behind, so he knew what he was sitting on.
“But he just knew what to do before the race, I didn’t have to tell him anything. You need to be a horseman and talented with your hands on this horse and Christophe knew exactly what to do and I think he really enjoyed it.”
Graffard, who won the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot with Calandagan, continued: “I worked for four years here in England for Sheikh Mohammed and went to every racetrack and fell in love with racing here, I think they have amazing races here.
“I always wanted to train in Chantilly but I knew that as soon as I had good horses I would try to come over and be competitive here. It’s always fantastic to be here and I really enjoy it.”
Asked about future plans for his star, Graffard said: “I don’t know without speaking to the owners. He can’t go for the Arc (as a gelding), so we will look at international races.
“Breeders’ Cup, the Japan Cup – all options are open to him. We’ll see how he comes back, but I can’t say for definite at this moment.”
A delighted Soumillon, who rode the aforementioned Hurricane Run in his King George win, said: “When I had a chance to look at the big screen I saw I was two or three lengths clear and I had to check I was not dreaming.
“It’s such an amazing feeling winning one of the biggest races in the world with an amazing horse. He was a 25-1 shot, but I was very optimistic and I knew he just needed a fast pace in the race. It was like a dream.”
