ALEX Pantall can now dream of winning another Prix de Diane Longines (June 18th) following the neat display put up by Sistercharlie when arriving late on the scene to land the Group 3 Prix Penelope at Saint-Cloud last Sunday.

Based at Beaupreau near Cholet in the west of France, Pantall won his first Diane with Sheikh Mohammed’s West Wind (Frankie Dettori) back in 2007. Maxime Guyon was landing a hat-trick in the Penelope and employed waiting tactics on the daughter of Myboycharlie who did not make a forward move until entering the straight.

Still with plenty to do a furlong out, she hit the front with under half a furlong left to run and went on to beat long-time leader Listen In by a cosy length, with the favourite Rythmique just inches away third.

Sistercharlie began her career last December when making a winning debut on the polytrack at Deauville in a newcomers’ race. She reappeared in the Listed Prix Rose de Mai at this track in March and was fourth and behind not only Listen In but also two of the other runners in the Penelope. Pantall then decided to slip in another race before her group race debut.

Sistercharlie became a course and distance winner at Saint-Cloud earlier this month which put her spot on to win the third race in her career.

improving all the time

Pantall commented: “It now looks as if we’re on track for the Diane. The filly is improving all the time and has a fine turn of foot. The decision now is whether to run her in the Prix de Saint-Alary, which comes a bit quick, or go directly for the Diane. I’d like to keep her fresh and we’ve time to consider the choice.”

Aurelien Lemaitre attempted to make all on Listen In and did so at a moderate pace. They lost the lead a furlong out before retaking it a little later. Then Sistercharlie swooped.

Freddy Head was well pleased. He said: “I may well leave her alone until later in the season, Deauville in August and after an autumn campaign.”

Rythmique might now go for the longer Prix de Royaumont. Sistercharlie was a bargain buy. Put up for sale by the Ecurie des Monceaux the Arqana sales at Deauville in 2015, she was knocked down to Paul Nataf for just €12,000.

Cheminaud back

IT was good to see Vincent Cheminaud land a treble at Compiegne last Monday as the 23-year-old has fallen a little by the wayside since starting a flat career two years ago when he became attached to the Andre Fabre stable and reached an agreement with Khalid Abdullah.

The partnership immediately bore fruits as Cheminaud landed the Prix du Jockey Club on New Bay.

He ended 2015 with 52 successes to which must be added a further 31 over jumps achieved during the first quarter of the season. He was champion jump jockey in 2014 but his wins dwindled to 43 last year with just one big victory, on Vadamos in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

Cheminaud has now eight victories this season which include the group contests, Prix Edmond Blanc and Prix Imprudence.

Soumillon in form

CHRISTOPHE Soumillon is determined to wrestle the jockey’s championship back from Pierre-Charles Boudot who broke a European record by notching up 300 victories last year in France and one in Italy.

In 2015, Soumillon and Boudot shared the title in somewhat strange circumstances. Both have been going at hammer and tongs to head the list which the 36-year-old Belgian currently leads with 86 wins to his credit compared to Boudot’s 77. Soumillon has been champion jockey on eight previous occasions. Both these top riders are racing all over France and sometimes two meetings a day.

Senga for Guineas

Pascal Bary confirmed that the Niarchos family’s Senga will now head for the Poule d’Essai des Poulains at Deauville on May 14th.

JEAN-Claude Rouget is not having much luck at present. He is trying to contain an epidemic in one of his barns and now his crack filly La Cressonniere has been taken out of training due to a recurring back problem which led her to missing last year’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The daughter of Le Havre was unbeaten in eight races and the winner of two classics. The first was the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches at Deauville last May and a month later the Prix de Diane Longines.

She will now be sent to stud and a decision concerning the first stallion she will visit has yet to be made.