2011

IF CVs are anything to go by, then Francis Graffard will have a meteoric rise to the top of his profession, and, in addition, he is married to a lady from Co Tipperary. The 34-year-old Frenchman is just about to start his training career after gaining experience in all aspects of the racing profession.

Brought up in Burgundy, he obtained a degree in business law at university, and then gained an in-depth knowledge of racing and breeding as he had the chance of taking part in the inaugural Darley Flying Start programme, which took him to four different continents.

He has worked alongside John Oxx, Eric Hoyeau (Arqana), Eoin Harty in California, Gai Waterhouse in Sydney and André Fabre at Chantilly. He was then employed by John Ferguson as the Darley European racing representative and worked closely with trainers, including John Gosden, Mick Channon, Mark Johnston, the late Michael Jarvis and Alex Pantall.

After four years at Newmarket, he became assistant to the trainer of trainers, Alain de Royer-Dupré in January 2009. He has had successful professionals like Mikel Delzangles, Eric Libaud and Stephane Wattel already through his hands. He said: “Francis was an excellent assistant, and he now has enough knowledge to train himself. He was very efficient, and a very pleasant young man to work with.”

Graffard has been at the Deauville sales during the week. “I start at Lamorlaye this weekend, and I have rented 10 boxes in a yard belonging to Jean-Yves Artu,” he reported. “There are 30 more I can have I can have in the future. For the moment, I have 10 horses and mainly international owners.”

Graffard is married to Lisa-Jane (née Moeran), and they have one daughter and another baby on the way.

[Francis Graffard is set to succeed his mentor Alain de Royer-Dupré as the Aga Khan’s principal trainer in France at the end of this year. He sent out his first winner in January 2012, and his career has enjoyed the meteoric rise predicted by Desmond Stoneham.

June 2012 saw Graffard saddle his first stakes winner with Pearl Flute, and that colt also provided him with his first pattern success in the Group 3 Prix des Chenes the same year.

Sumbal was a first Group 2 win in May 2015, and two months later Erupt won the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris, adding the Grade 1 Canadian International the following year.

Baleel won the 2017 Prix Vermeille, and two years later Graffard enjoyed classic success for the first time when Channel landed the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks. Days later there was further Group 1 glory when another filly, Watch Me, triumphed in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

It was certainly a case of annus mirabilis last year when In Swoop captured the Group 1 Deutsches Derby, Watch Me added the Prix Rothschild to her previous top-level success, Wooded took the honours in the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp before The Revenant crowned a great season with victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes]