Dionisia wins Italian Oaks

Christophe Soumillon was the big winner at San Siro in Milan on Sunday as he guided Dionisia and Shamdala to victory in a pair of Group 1 stakes.

The French-based Belgian rider guided the 9-2 Dionisia to victory in the $745,000 Oaks d'Italia. It was easy pickings for Dionisia, who cruised home by six lengths over Twardowska, getting the 1 3/8 miles in 2:14.50 on firm ground. The winner, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Tejano Run, is trained by Riccardo Menichetti.

Rising Cross, second in the English Oaks on June 2, did little running in her first start for new owner Gary Tanaka, coming home eighth, 14 lengths behind Dionisia.

Soumillon earlier in the day won aboard Shamdala, trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre. As the only female in the field, she had little trouble asserting her authority in the $500,000 Gran Premio di Milano with a 1 1/4-length victory over the pacesetting Groom Tesse. The odds-on favorite, Shamdala covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:27.80.