Diamond Necklace sparkles in French 1000 Guineas for Aidan O'Brien
Business as usual for Francis-Henri Graffard and Aidan O'Brien as Rayif and Diamond Necklace claimed the first two Classics of the French calendar with impressive displays in the wind and rain at Parislongchamp
Sunday 10 May 2026 17:15, UK
Diamond Necklace kept her unbeaten record intact with a seamless victory in the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches at ParisLongchamp.
Aidan O'Brien's 4-5 favourite won the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day in October and followed the inside route of Rayif in the 2000 Guineas to burst clear a furlong and a half from home.
Zanthos was sent straight to the front by Oisín Murphy, as Diamond Necklace tucked in on the rail with main market rival Narissa racing towards the rear of the field, on ground officially described as very soft.
With the rain pouring down, Ryan Moore remained as cool as ever as he waited for the gap to appear and once he asked the St Mark's Basilica filly to quicken it was all over, as she stylishly accounted for The Last Dance to make it four wins from four on what was her first run of the year.
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O'Brien told Sky Sports Racing: "Ryan gave her a brilliant ride. She's just like her dad, improved a lot from two to three.
"She was very classy last year. Christophe [Soumillon] won on her twice and today was the first time for Ryan to ride her on a raceday and he gave her a beautiful ride.
"What can you say? She's very cool, she's got a lot of natural ability. I'm over the moon for everybody. She's a lovely filly, very natural.
"He had a lovely position on her. She went through the race very easily, she handled the ground very well. She's a natural and her dad was like that.
"He won the Guineas here and then went back and won the French Derby and we saw what he did after that. She's beautiful.
"She's got an unbelievable pedigree. It's all her dad. He improved a lot from two to three and she looks like doing the same.
"We had it in our heads that she would be a Prix de Diane filly or maybe an Oaks. It depends on what the lads want to do, but we thought that was what she was going to do and maybe go up to a mile and a quarter. She's very exciting and we're so lucky to have her."
Rayif too good for Puerto Rico and company in Paris
Rayif gained revenge on Puerto Rico as he took the shortest route to land the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp, continuing an already fine season for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard.
In the colours of the Aga Khan Studs, Rayif was beaten into third by Aidan O'Brien's Group One hat-trick seeker Puerto Rico in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in October, but it was a different story in the French 2000 Guineas on a gloomy afternoon in the Bois de Boulogne.
Karl Burke's Hankelow set the pace stalked by Puerto Rico as Mickael Barzalona hugged the rail on the 4-1 winner and bided his time before pushing the button to accelerate and sending him on, holding Andre Fabre's fast-finishing Komorebi by a length, with Hankelow a brave third just ahead of Puerto Rico and Ryan Moore.
Graffard said: "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.
"It's true that I've been enjoying a very good spell over the last few months. We had a solid foundation to work from and we managed to stay faithful to it. Right now, several horses from the stable are performing at a very high level. It's hugely satisfying and I hope this momentum continues because it's only the beginning of the season and it's already been a wonderful period for us."
On plans for his winner, he added: "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."
Princess Zahra Aga Khan told Sky Sports Racing: "I wasn't sure he would stay the distance but he did very well. His older sister [Rayevka, who won earlier on the card] is a sprinter and he can get a good mile.
"Francis has an amazing training method. It's amazing to watch around our training yard and Mickael has the most amazing timing. It's lovely to see."
