Rayif claims Poule d’Essai des Poulains

PARIS – France’s two 3YO Classics took centre stage at ParisLongchamp on May 10 with the beneficiaries being yet again, two of Europe’s biggest outfits, Aga Khan Studs for the home team and Coolmore for Ireland.

Rayif supplied the Aga Khan Studs with a landmark success in the €650,000 (S$970,000) Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (1,600m), becoming their first winner of the French 2,000 Guineas since Sendawar struck for Alain de Royer-Dupré in 1999.

The victory completed a stellar afternoon for his dam Rayisa, whose daughter Rayevka had earlier notched up the Group 3 Prix de Saint-Georges (1,000m).

Francis-Henri Graffard’s colt was making his seasonal comeback and stepping up to a mile for the first time, having finished third behind Puerto Rico and Nighttime in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (1,400m) on his final start at two last October.

Before that, the son of Sea The Moon had marked himself down as a colt of real promise when winning the Group 3 Prix François Boutin (1,400m) at Deauville on Aug 17, 2025.

Seeking a third win in the race, Mickael Barzalona quickly secured a favourable position against the rail, from stall 1, while Hankelow (Clifford Lee), a Karl Burke-trained British challenger, took the field along on testing ground.

Rayif ($31) travelled strongly and was ideally placed to challenge when the cutaway came.

Asked to quicken just over 300m out, he soon took control to beat the Godolphin-owned Komorebi (William Buick) by a length, with Hankelow holding on for third after making much of the running.

The result gave the Aga Khan Studs a record ninth victory in the race, moving them clear of Edmond Blanc, with whom they had previously shared the record.

Speaking to Sky Sports Racing afterwards, Princess Zahra Aga Khan said: “He did very, very well. It turns out his older sister is a sprinter, and he can get a good mile, so it is an absolutely lovely day for that family.

“He has shown that he is versatile on that front as well. I don’t think he has been tried on heavy ground, so we will see.

“But he certainly has the speed to get through the ground, even today. He is a Classic winner now, what a season; it has barely begun.

“Francis has an amazing training record and method. It is impressive. I hope to come and see the stable one day, but when you walk around his yard, every horse looks like a conqueror – they are beautiful, even in the middle of winter.

“Mickael has the most amazing timing. It is lovely to see, and it is fantastic teamwork.”

Rayif is now likely to be aimed at the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes (1,400m) at Royal Ascot on June 16. It is the same race Sendawar won after his Poule d’Essai des Poulains success in 1999.

One race later, Diamond Necklace ($11) emerged as the latest star for Aidan O’Brien, as she ended his 25-year drought in the €550,000 Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (1,600m) with an exceptional performance under Ryan Moore.

The St Mark’s Basilica filly was making her seasonal bow and looking to extend an unbeaten record to four. She did just that by dominating her French 1000 Guineas opponents by three lengths.

Poised just behind the leaders, she smartly moved onto the inside rail when a gap appeared. After just a few strides, she hit top gear and surged clear of The Last Dance (Christophe Soumillon) and Green Spirit (Maxime Guyon) in the driving Paris rain.

O’Brien famously completed a Classic double in France in 2021 with St Mark’s Basilica thereafter claiming the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club (2,100m) at Chantilly.

One of his progeny could bid for a similar success with the Group 1 Prix de Diane (2,100m) at Chantilly on June 14. Diamond Necklace is the French Oaks 2-1 favourite.

“We’re delighted with her. There’s so many people involved with her and we’re grateful to them. Ryan gave her a brilliant ride,” said O’Brien.

“She’s like her dad, who improved a lot from two to three. She’s got a lot of natural ability, she’s lovely.

“I’m not sure how far she’ll stay but she went through the race very easily. She handled this very ground.

“She’s beautiful. She was bred here and it’s great to come back.

“We had it in our heads that she could be a Prix de Diane filly. We could go up to a mile and a quarter and we’re lucky to have her.”

The victory now means O’Brien has doubled up in the English and French 1,000 Guineas after scoring with True Love at Newmarket a week ago. He has 7-4 favourite Precise for the Irish edition.

RACING AND SPORTS