Christophe Soumillon has declined to offer further comment on the extraordinary incident on Friday when he elbowed his fellow rider, Rossa Ryan, from the saddle during a race at nearby Saint-Cloud. Controversy over Soumillon’s continued presence at Longchamp this weekend is unlikely to subside, however, before his ride on Vadeni, the French Derby winner, in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday.
“I don’t speak any more about this, I said what I have to say,” Soumillon said after finishing third on the first of his five rides on Saturday’s card, having ignored calls – including one from a co-owner of Malavath, a horse he is due to ride here on Sunday – to stand down from his engagements over the most prestigious weekend of the European season.
