AT the beginning of the season, Christophe Soumillon adamantly stated that he wanted to knock Pierre-Charles Boudot off his champion jockey (Cravache d’Or) pedestal and go for not only a ninth title but also beat Boudot’s European and French record of 300 winners in a season.

The previous record was set at 271 by Peter Schiergen back in 1995. Boudot’s record-breaking total was actually 301 winners, as he also picked up a race in Italy.