Soumillon simply brilliant in the heat of battle - despite his 12-day ban

There are certain people who possess a rare but wonderful 'je ne sais quoi'.

Christophe Soumillon is one of them. As he walked into Sandown's weighing room in an exquisite suit, smart shades across his eyes and the jet-black hair perfectly coiffured, you might have thought a film star was making his entrance. You would have been wrong. As he was soon to remind us, Soumillon is a magnificent jockey.

This was the afternoon when Vadeni became the first French-trained Coral-Eclipse winner in 62 years. The Aga Khan had until now been unable to claim a prize captured by his father and grandfather many moons ago. Soumillon had never even ridden a winner at Sandown, which is perhaps why he made sure to walk the track not long after arriving. He was a man who knew exactly what he was not going to do.