Leading French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard entered the world’s Top 20 when he saddled three of the first four fillies home in the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) on Sunday [June 15] at Chantilly.
Led home by Gezora (#105 from #430, +219pt), who beat Bedtime Story by a length to claim the Longines-sponsored Classic, the Aga Khan Studs’ principal trainer saddled first, third and fourth – earning a 98pt boost on Thoroughbred Racing Commentary’s exclusive Global Rankings, where Graffard now sits at #18 (from #26).
Graffard, 48, joined the late Aga Khan’s team in 2019, eight years after taking out his first licence. He stands only two spots behind the legendary Andre Fabre as leader of the trainers’ pack in France – and with high-profile runners this week at Royal Ascot headed by Candelari (Gold Cup) and Zarigana (Coronation Stakes), Graffard may soon be the meilleur chien.
Although he is best known for his Aga Khan runners, the green-and-red silks took only minor honours at Chantilly with Cankoura and favoured Mandanaba in third and fourth.
The winner Gezora, a daughter of European champion Almanzor (#62 from #88, +65pt among turf sires), represents American billionaire industrialist Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm (#42 from #66, +46pt), who won the Arc with Sottsass in 2020. She was ridden by ten-time French champion jockey Christophe Soumillon (#35 from #40, +42pt).
Graffard was cock-a-hoop with the result. “During the race I was trying to follow all three through my binoculars,” he said, speaking to Scott Burton of the Racing Post. “I was a bit frustrated with where Mandanaba found herself during the race but they all picked up really well and there was a moment when I saw this green wave surge forward.
“It was an incredible moment, although I wasn't absolutely sure we'd win even then because Aidan's filly was finishing fast, but I was focused on my filly. That moment when my three fillies went to the front, I was on my own little cloud.”
The Prix de Diane is part of the newly-minted ‘Arc series’ guaranteeing a place in the field for Europe’s richest race, for which Gezora is now a 16-1 chance. “With this win, she gets a wild card for the Arc,” added Graffard. “We’re keeping all options open, especially since we know she loves soft ground.”
Moving into the Top Ten for trainers is Californian-based Phil D’Amato (#10 from #12, +37pt), who clinched his seventh Santa Anita trainers’ title at the Hollywood Meet which finished on Sunday [June 15].
Leading rider was Antonio Fresu (#65 from #73, +19pt) – and the pair teamed up to land the G3 Daytona with Breeders’ Cup runner-up Motorious (returns at #119) on the hillside course on Saturday’s card.
Japanese legend Yutaka Take (#34 from #36, +30pt) hit the G1 mark for the 84th time on home territory as front-running Meisho Tabaru (#81 from #359, +234pt) claimed the Takarazuka Kinen with an all-the-way victory at Hanshin.
In Australia, War Machine (#117 from #701, +285pt) justified favouritism with a dominant performance in the G1 Stradbroke at Eagle Farm. The Everest is a possible target.
On the same card in Brisbane, expat Irishman Martin Harley (#207 from #267, +30pt) recorded his first G1 success for nine years on two-year-old Cool Archie (#210 from #488, +131pt) in the JJ Atkins. Former British champion apprentice Harley relocated to Australia in October 2022; his most recent G1 winner in Europe came via Royal Ascot winner Goldream in the 2015 Prix de l’Abbaye.
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• Unlike traditional methods of racehorse rankings, TRC Global Rankings are a measure of an individual’s level of achievement over a rolling three-year period, providing a principled hierarchy of the leading horses, jockeys, trainers, owners and sires using statistical learning techniques. Racehorse rankings can be compared to similar exercises in other sports, like the golf’s world rankings or the ATP rankings in tennis.
They are formulated from the last three years of races we consider Group or Graded class all over the world and update automatically each week according to the quality of a horse’s performances and their recency, taking into account how races work out.