ENGLISH TEXTS on Jockey, now 44, speaks about his career, his dreams and his pony academy.
Galorama. You started the Deauville meeting quietly, but the two Group 1 wins with Diego Velasquez and Quisisana changed everything.
Christophe Soumillon. Sometimes we were unlucky even with our best chances. When I heard I could be booked on Diego Velasquez in the“ Jacques le Marois”, that was very good news. I was delighted to ride for Aidan O’ Brien. It all went like a dream, the horse managed to win the best race of the meeting and that was already a big thing achieved. My average meeting suddenly turned into an excellent one, especially with the victory of Quisisana in the Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet( Gr. 1) a week later for Francis-Henri Graffard, who is having a remarkable season. It’ s a privilege to have the trust of such trainers.
G. At 44, you own one of the finest records in the world. You have been Champion Jockey ten times. Where do you still find the motivation?
C. S. At my age, I can’ t ride 1,700 races a year anymore, but riding and winning big races has always driven me. I think working with my agent Hervé Naggar has a lot to do with it. He’ s one of the rare ones who doesn’ t want me riding seven races a day. He has understood a lot in that respect. My motiva- tion also comes from setting an example for the children at the pony academy, who often ride with me. It forces me to be as professional and as good as possible. That matters a lot to me.
G. Tell us about your association, the Soumillon International Pony Academy( SIPA), created in 2022 …
C. S. We’ re a team of about ten volunteers and friends: my wife Sophie, Dominique Bœuf, Céline Lerner, Pascale Remond-Lamie, Lucie Groualle, Sylvie Carrara, Scarlett Graffard, Marie Artu, Jessica Marcialis, Morgan Delalande, and others. They come to help us, as do other jockeys sometimes, depending the place: Lamorlaye in spring and winter, Normandy in summer. We always have a qualified riding instructor with us. The goal is to introduce as many children as possible to the racing industry, through holiday courses and pony races. Thanks also to our sponsors, we try to give kids who normally wouldn’ t have the means the chance to discover the horse world. What we want is for them to make friends and live unique experiences during our courses, learning how to handle emotions and stress. We are delighted to offer them special moments, like riding in Chantilly, on the beach at Deauville, or visiting the Aga Khan Studs’ Haras de Bonneval and meeting Zarkava.
G. Do you still have dreams and challenges to chase?
C. S. Yes, of course. I still have many challenges left. If I get the chance to be on a good horse in the“ Abbaye de Longchamp”, that would be great. It’ s the only Group 1 missing from my French record. Winning the Epsom Derby is also a dream, as well as a third“ Arc de Triomphe”. I’ ve never ridden in Australia, so I’ d love to go there with good horses. Winning big races in the U. S. is also one of my goals. It never ends.
G. You are one of the most experienced riders in the weighing room. After your jockey career, could you follow in the footsteps of Gérald Mossé, who recently became a trainer?
C. S. What I’ ve learned in this profession is that you should never say too much or be too definite, because you can either change your mind or end up taking different paths. If someone had told me three or four years ago that I’ d only be riding four days a week and have the time in the mornings to ride ponies with kids, I wouldn’ t have believed it. Being a trainer requires very important human skills because you have to manage your staff above all, as well as the horses and also the moods of the owners, which is never easy. Two or three years ago I would have said no, but now I don’ t know. I already have a lot to handle with SIPA, but we’ ll see.
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