Trainer Francis Graffard

Rayif won the French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp for Graffard and Aga Khan Studs

Horse Racing

Sun May 10, 2026 · 4d ago

Rayif (4/1) was a smooth winner of the Emirates Poule d'Essai Des Poulains at ParisLongchamp for Francis Graffard and Aga Khan Studs.

The rain that had been falling for a couple of hours was supposed to be a negative for Rayif but it didn't stop the son of Sea The Moon who comfortably reversed last autumn's form with Puerto Rico.

Aidan O'Brien's colt had won the Lagardere here in October and was made the 11/10 favourite but could only finish fourth with no obvious excuses.

Both colts were prominent from the off on their first starts of the season, racing just off the pace set by Karl Burke's Hankelow and Wootton Centurion. The latter backed out of it early in the straight but Rayif made smooth progress on the inside of Hankelow to take up the running.

There was a limited response from Puerto Rico wider on the track and the last, and biggest, challenge to the winner came from Komorebi but the line was always coming too soon. Hankelow stuck gamely to his task and was rewarded with third.

The winning distances were a length and a head with Puerto Rico another neck away in fourth.

Rayif was cut to 10/1 for the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot by both Paddy Power and Sky Bet.

Princess Zahra Aga Khan spoke to Sky Sports Racing, saying: "I wasn't sure he would stay the distance but Francis obviously thought he would and he did very, very well.

"It turns out his older sister [Rayevka] is a sprinter and he can get a good mile so absolutely lovely day for that family.

"It's only been raining for a few hours so I imagine it's not heavy; I don't think he's been tried on heavy going and we'll see but he certainly has the speed to get through the ground, even today.

"Francis has an amazing training method, it's impressive to watch. Every horse looks like a conker, they're beautiful, even in the middle of winter. Mikael [Barzalona, jockey] has the most amazing timing, it's lovely to see."

Graffard, for whom this was a first Poulains, told www.france-galop.com: "I always prefer to prepare the horses I train with races that gradually bring them towards the major targets but this time I didn’t really have a choice: I was forced to skip the prep races!

"It wasn’t easy. That said, the horse was in very good shape. We needed to find him a race, so we made that decision. Then the rain arrived and complicated things a little for us. But we were fortunate to have a very good draw, which allowed us to race close to the pace. From there, everything unfolded perfectly. The horse was able to quicken again, reaccelerate at the right moment and put everything together perfectly.

"I didn’t realise it had been so long since an Aga Khan Studs horse won this race [1999 with Sendawar], but this is a very important victory. In the racing industry, producing stallions and helping them establish themselves at stud is essential. With this success, he has clearly earned his place as a future stallion. His sister won the Prix de Saint-Georges earlier today, so this is a family that continues to rise in strength. It’s a real source of satisfaction for the whole team because this result rewards an enormous amount of hard work.

"We’ll see how he comes out of the race, but the idea is to continue along this path. The St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot will be his next target.”

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Speaking after Diamond Necklace won the Emirates Poule d'Essai Des Pouliches, O'Brien said of Puerto Rico: "He ran very well.

"He looked a little bit rusty. We kind of prepared him to run in Newmarket and then we split the two colts up and maybe he was kind of ready to peak last week and maybe the week he just went down a little bit and that could be the reason.

"But we're very happy with the run, first time back it was a very respectable run and you'd be very happy and you'd be looking forward to him next time. It looked like the penny didn't drop until the race was over."

Louise Benard, French representative of Godolphin, said of Komorebi: "We are very pleased, he ran extremely well. He found himself a little wide early in the race but once again, just as in the Prix de Fontainebleau, he showed that he never gives up. He really gives everything, with tremendous determination.

"He was still a bit further back than the others when the sprint began and truly, he showed great tenacity all the way to the line. William Buick said that perhaps slightly quicker ground would have suited him better, in which case he might have shown a sharper turn of foot. But it’s still a very fine second place today.

"We believe he can be stepped up in trip. The question is: how far? We’ll take our time to analyse things and make a decision, but in any case William Buick was not negative about trying him over a longer distance from a jockey’s perspective. The Prix du Jockey Club has not been ruled out at this stage."

Burke was pleased with the run of Hankelow and admitted to briefly thinking they had the race at their mercy.

"At the 400-metre mark, I thought we might actually win it. But he’ll stay further and he simply lacked the winner’s turn of foot. He came back again strongly at the finish. I think with another ten strides he might even have regained second place. But he’s a very good horse.

"We always believed he needed this type of ground and it was the first time he had raced on it. Longchamp suits my horses very well. We’ve had a lot of success here. I think he’ll come back for the Prix du Jockey Club. But first we’ll take him home before making a decision. The French Derby will certainly be high on the list.

"Maybe the winner is an exceptional horse. Francis can do no wrong at the moment, can he?”

Rayif won the French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp for Graffard and Aga Khan Studs

Reaction from the beaten connections

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