By Tom Frary
Taking charge at Chantilly on Sunday, Christophe Soumillon supplemented his Diane success with the card's G3 Prix du Lys Longines as Rafale Design capped another stellar afternoon for the Belgian. Coming off a win in ParisLongchamp's G3 Prix Hocquart last month, the Yann Barberot-trained son of Starspangledbanner was launched from rear to swoop on Surabad (Bated Breath) and Oracle (Too Darn Hot) with 300 metres remaining and assert to beat that duo by two half-length margins.
Entered in Monday's London Sale in Goffs, the G1 Grand Prix de Paris entry provides his many owners including Cormac Farrell and Laurent Dassault with an enviable quandary.
“I have rarely trained a horse of such quality–he's really good,” Barberot said. “I needed this race to get him to the Grand Prix de Paris. I think he's really made for that. What will happen tomorrow will happen, but I will have done my job.”
At present, Rafale Design belongs in part to Olivier Chauchart du Mottay's Beaumelles Racing and he said, “I've just joined the adventure. His victory in the Hocquart really drew me in, plus his magnificent physique. He will most likely go to the sale tomorrow, as it's the will of the other owners but if it were up to me he would have raced again in my colours.”
Pedigree Notes
Rafale Design is out of Fashion Design (Montjeu), a full-sister to the Listed Prix Michel Houyvet winner and G3 Prix de Lutece-placed Only A Pleasure. Their dam is the GI Matron Stakes heroine Sense Of Style (Thunder Gulch), one of two top-level winners out of Save Me The Waltz alongside the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine and Stakes producer Valentine Waltz (Be My Guest). From the esteemed family of Pivotal's G1 Coronation Stakes and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois heroine Immortal Verse and therefore Wootton Bassett's recent G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Henri Matisse, Fashion Design also has a yearling colt by Ten Sovereigns.
What a day it's been for Christophe Soumillon!
Four winners on the day for the Belgian as Rafale Design comes home best of all to land the Group Three Prix du Lys at Chantilly! 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/vGtkgS1yu5
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 15, 2025
Sunday, Chantilly, France
PRIX DU LYS LONGINES-G3, €80,000, Chantilly, 6-15, 3yo, 12fT, 2:29.56, g/s.
1–RAFALE DESIGN (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Starspangledbanner (Aus)
1st Dam: Fashion Design (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire)
2nd Dam: Sense Of Style, by Thunder Gulch
3rd Dam: Save Me The Waltz (Ire), by Kings Lake
(€48,000 Wlg '22 GOFNOV; €75,000 Ylg '23 GOFORB; €195,000 RNA 2yo '24 ARQMAY). O-Beaumelles Racing, Cormac Farrell, Laurent Dassault, Jean-Noel Bocahut, LTN Racing, Meridian International SARL & Frank Dhooghe; B-Newstead Breeding LLC; T-Yann Barberot; J-Christophe Soumillon. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 6-4-0-0, €117,500. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Surabad (GB), 128, c, 3, Bated Breath (GB)–Sunita (Fr), by Motivator (GB). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Aga Khan Studs; T-Francis-Henri Graffard. €16,000.
3–Oracle (GB), 128, c, 3, Too Darn Hot (GB)–Ligne D'Or (GB), by Dansili (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Wertheimer & Frere; B-Dayton Investments Ltd; T-Andre Fabre. €12,000.
Margins: HF, HF, 5. Odds: 3.20, 2.80, 2.90.
Also Ran: Hotheaded (GB), Golden Weaver (Fr), Ephesus (Fr), Lakota Beau (Fr), Duty (Fr). Scratched: Croquis (Ire).
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
