The powerful connections of Rayif can do little wrong at the moment as Rayif lands another big winner for Francis-Henri Graffard, Aga Khan Studs and Mickael Barzalona.
The familiar emerald green and red silks have already stamped their authority on this years’ flat racing calendar. Calandagan returned successfully this season, as did the Arc winner Daryz who blew apart the Prix Ganay. Daryz’ brother, Daryzan, further bolstered their ranks, as he bolted up five lengths at Saint Cloud last week.
Rayif marked himself as another star for the yard, as he comfortably landed the French 2000 Guineas. The Sea The Moon colt was always well-positioned under Barzalona, coming through on the rail to win by a length. He reversed the Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere form with Puerto Rico there, who shaped as if rusty on his reappearance.
Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, via Sporting Life, Princess Zahra Aga Khan said: “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 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” – Princess Zahra
Graffard was winning the French 2000 Guineas for the first time. The trainer was given plenty of praise by Princess Zahra: “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 has the most amazing timing, it’s lovely to see.”
Graffard himself told France Galop that: “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 was a special day for connections, whose breeding operation blossomed in abundance. Earlier on in the card, Rayif’s sister, Rayeyka, won the Prix de Saint-Georges over six furlongs. Graffard said: “It’s a real source of satisfaction for the whole team because this result rewards an enormous amount of hard work.
While Rayevka is the sharper of the Rayisa progeny, a mile looks to be the minimum trip for Rayif. Royal Ascot is now next on the agenda. “We’ll see how he comes out of the race, but the idea is to continue along this path,” said Graffard. “The St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot will be his next target.”