Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard (left)

Chantilly review: Amy Murphy lands winner on French Derby day, Goliath also among winners

Horse Racing

Sun May 31, 2026 · 1h ago

A review of the pick of the action from the undercard at Chantilly on Prix du Jockey Club day.

Goliath puts in big performance

Francis-Henri Graffard’s grip on the major French races continued as Goliath (13/8) got back to winning ways in the Group 2 Grand Prix De Chantilly over 12 furlongs.

The six-year-old landed the 2024 King George at Ascot before adding another top-class triumph to his CV in last season’s Grosser Preis von Baden.

He was overlooked slightly in the market on Sunday as the Andre Fabre-trained Cualificar (11/8 fav) was preferred by punters but the Godolphin colt could manage only third having held every chance.

The field initially raced in two groups of three and as they merged into the one it was Eydon and Zarraf who led the way. Caulificar was right on their tail and turning for home he eased his way up to the shoulder of Eydon before taking it up, but Christophe Soumillon had tracked the favourite and was produced with his trademark turn of foot in the last furlong.

Soumillon just had to keep Goliath up to his work to score comfortably by two lengths from Fabre second-string Oracle (15/2), with Cualificar only third under William Buick.

"I'm delighted, I love this horse," Graffard said on Sky Sports Racing.

"He's been very special for the whole stable, I'm very happy at his age to have him in such good condition - mentally and physically. Christophe confirmed that his action was incredible today.

"Like in Ascot, when he won the King George, when the pace is like that and I see my horse is very relaxed, I know he is a champion and he can quicken very strongly.

"It will be very good for him, to be back winning. I need to speak with the owners but my idea was to go to the Hardwicke and then the King George with him. So we need to discuss it."

The winning rider added: "Today he was in great shape, we were quite lucky to have a bit of pace in the race as he was quite relaxed. He gave me the same good sensation when I won on him in the King George.

"It was smooth and able to quicken well, I was very pleased with him today. When I take him out he is always ready to rumble. He quickened so hard today I knew that nobody would be able to catch him."

She's got a lot of class

Behrayna (2/7 favourite) was a dominant winner of the Prix De Royaumont for Mickael Barzalona, Graffard and Aga Khan Studs.

Unbeaten in two career starts, the Sea The Moon filly was given a patient ride by Barzalona in the Group 3 and only had one behind her at the top of the straight in a tightly grouped field.

Behrayna found her path ahead blocked with no room on her outside forcing Barzalona to take a pull but he was able to edge her around the front-runners and into the clear. Challenged on the outside by eventual second Zlata, Behrayna took a few strides to pick up for a second time but was soon in top gear and extended readily to record an impressive victory.

Behrayna holds an entry in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp in October and was cut to 33/1 (from 50s) by Paddy Power and Sky Bet.

The owner's racing manager Nemone Routh said: "We're really happy with her.

"She didn't have the best trip because she missed the break, was out the back and we know that coming off the pace here at Chantilly is quite hard. She's a big filly, she made some space to come out and then Mickael said as soon as he asked her to quicken, she quickened very well and once she's in her stride, she doesn't stop.

"She's a really lovely filly, goes on any ground, is very genuine and I think she's got a lot of class.

"She stays it [12 furlongs] very well. We toyed with the idea of whether she would be our Diane [French Oaks] filly but then Zayida came out and won so well the other day and we're not sure she would stay a mile and a half so I think the plan would be that Behrayan goes for something like the Malleret; I don't know, I haven't spoken to Francis yet so I'm improvising!"

Graffard added: "She's a lovely filly, we always liked her and she worked well in the mornings.

"I always wanted to step her up in trip to a mile and a half, I nearly focused on the Prix de Diane with her and today I think showed me that I was right. She needs plenty of time to get going but has a lot of ability, she's an exciting prospect.

"I need to see how she comes back. Maybe she stays in France and then I can focus on the autumn. Maybe I can have a look also at the Irish Oaks with her but I just need to see how she comes back."

Sajir tees up Royal Ascot run

Sajir (8/13 favourite) readily landed the odds in the Group 3 Prix du Gros-Chene for trainer Andre Fabre.

Slowly into stride under Oisin Murphy as trailblazer Ponntos took the field along, Sajir gradually got into his stride and swept past the whole field inside the final furlong to run out a ready winner by a length and a quarter.

Sajir won the Group 1 Maurice de Gheest last August over an extended six furlongs but coped admirably with the drop to a bare five furlongs having previously raced over five and a half furlongs and beyond in his previous 15 starts.

Sajir holds an entry in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Royal Ascot and is 12/1 with Paddy Power and Sky Bet for next month's contest.

Ted Voute, racing manager to owner Prince Faisal, said: "It's very hard to prepare a horse for Royal Ascot given the distance of the races in the time coming up to the race and this leaves us almost three weeks.

"It's five furlongs today, aiming for six furlongs on the Saturday of Royal Ascot and the Queen Elizabeth. Andre has said he doesn't have a lot of sprinters in the yard and maybe it's difficult to get them on point and this has done the job.

"He rode him cold and he came with a late burst, as he did in the Maurice de Gheest, so maybe that's how he likes it.

"Prince Faisal keeps his horses in training after three and it's great for racing to see these horses kept in training."

Goffs option for Tokaido

Tokaido (13/8 favourite) carried a penalty to victory in the Prix La Fleche for Amy Murphy and Tony Piccone.

Murphy, now based in Lamorlaye in France, saw her gelding jump well from the gates towards the centre of the track and Tokaido was always front rank in the five furlong listed race.

Tokaido picked up well in the closing stages, running straight and true, and eased to victory by a length or so.

Aralia and Loppela filled out the frame with Archie Watson's Vollering best of the visitors in fourth.

Winning owners Anoj Don and Daniel Macauliffe spoke to Sky Sports Racing with the latter saying: "When we bought him Amy told us this is one of the best horses that she has had.

"We came over from the UK for this special occasion and it's great to be here, being an owner, having a winner, it's a really joyful part.

"We had talked about [Royal Ascot] but we decided that this was the best place for the horse."

Murphy confirmed Tokaido was likely to remain in France in the immediate future, adding: "The next two months, unless something changes over champagne this afternoon, the plan is to stay here, he's got that nice programme of the Prix du Bois next, then the [Prix Robert] Papin.

"Unbelievably, because of the stallion he's by, Ubettabelievit, he gets into the English sales race for Goffs in August off a very low weight because it is done on stallion's price so that could be a target for the second half.

"The team have done a great job with this horse and he's developing all the time physically. He goes out first lot with the older horses and you wouldn't know he was a two-year-old, he's like a bull."

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