This trainer is marching to greatness and smart juveniles suggest there's more to come - plus a 25-1 shot for the Melbourne Cup

Who's the best trainer in the world? Aidan O’Brien and John and Thady Gosden would be up there in Britain and Ireland, but France has a new king in Francis Graffard and it won’t be long before he's rivalling them.

On a beautiful morning in September, two horses galloped side by side in a piece of work at Chantilly. They were Daryz and Calandagan, who have since scooped two of the sport's biggest prizes in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and Champion Stakes.

Saturday’s success for Calandagan was the latest example of Graffard’s training prowess. At the start of the summer we were left wondering if the perennial bridesmaid would ever get his Group 1 as he turned his nose up at Epsom’s camber.

But since then he has been unbeaten and won three, with his Ascot success a career-best performance over titans Ombudsman and Delacroix and setting him on the perfect path to the Japan Cup at Tokyo next month.

O’Brien and the Gosdens will testify that you need the raw material to excel as a trainer and Graffard has that in abundance, with the Aga Khan Studs ending 2025 with a real flourish despite the death of its linchpin. And things could get even better.

Francis Graffard: landed the Arc with Daryz and Champion Stakes with CalandaganCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

He has had several eye-catching juvenile winners in the last few weeks, with Samangan looking a potential superstar when winning the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte at Chantilly on October 11.

That was his third win from four starts, with his only defeat coming on his debut at Compiegne in July, and it was his best effort yet. Timings expert Simon Rowlands tells me it was the best performance by a French juvenile this season.

The Aga Khan’s representative Nemone Routh said Samangan was immature, may not be effective on testing ground and was likely to be done for the season after his Group 3 win before that, so the fact he reappeared and looked much more professional on soft ground was highly encouraging.

Samangan is by one of the most exciting sprint sires around in Blue Point and is a half-brother to the useful miler Simeen. He would rate highly on my early list for the Commonwealth Cup, which Graffard came so close to winning with Rayevka this summer. It's a shame he isn't priced up yet.

Graffard won with another exciting prospect on Thursday when Zayida built on her debut run to land a decent mile conditions event for fillies at Saint-Cloud. The form could be questioned as the short-priced favourite trailed in last, but the winner travelled through the contest as if she was capable of operating at a much higher level.

Perhaps what is most encouraging is Zayida's pedigree, as her granddam is the one and only Zarkava, with her Listed-winning dam Zaykava a half-sister to the Group 1 winner and exciting sire Zarak. 

Graffard will have any number of similar types at home and has a keen eye for big international targets, so I can see him emerging as one of the major superpower trainers in the years to come.

Meydaan on Melbourne Cup radar

Meydaan
4.00 Flemington, November 4
1pt win at 25-1 with BetVictor

Meydaan04:00 Flemington

View Racecard

Jky: Tnr: Simon & Ed Crisford

There was such a feelgood factor about the racing in Australia last weekend, with Ka Ying Rising scaling the Everest heights and Jamie Melham becoming the first woman to win the Caulfield Cup on Half Yours. 

The latter race has a decent record of producing Melbourne Cup winners as in the last six years Vow And Declare (second), Gold Trip (second), Without A Fight (winner), Knight’s Choice (14th) have all gone on to success at Flemington. 

Half Yours was a dominant winner this time but there were a number of eyecatchers in behind, including Valiant King, Presage Nocturne and Royal Supremacy. However, the one to take out of the race for me was Meydaan, who was put up as a horse to watch by the Australian handicapper when the weights were announced in September.

Meydaan (left): finished third in the Group 3 September Stakes on his last start in BritainCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

The son of Frankel raced keenly in a prominent position before coming under pressure turning for home, when he was shuffled back and then switched further towards the inside. He recovered powerfully to finish ninth, beaten less than five lengths, and surely he'll be better off over further with a stronger gallop. 

The four-year-old will get that at Flemington and it’s worth remembering how well his September Stakes third has worked out, with Giavellotto going on to finish fourth in the Arc and Kalpana landing the Fillies & Mares on Saturday. 

Meydaan's trainers Simon and Ed Crisford have fared well with their Australian runners in recent years, with West Wind Blows finishing second in the Turnbull and Caulfield Cup in 2023.

They also trained Without A Fight to finish 13th in the Melbourne Cup in 2022 when soft ground surely scuppered his chances, and a year later he went on to win the big one after joining Anthony and Sam Freedman.

Read more here

'A beautiful race to watch' - Calandagan proves the Champion Stakes ace as Arc-winning duo conquer Ascot 

Two-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey to replace Dylan Browne McMonagle on favourite Al Riffa 

Via Sistina to miss Melbourne Cup after latest scratchings phase - but big British and Irish hopes remain in contention  

Looking for free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more