Twelve winners in a week and two more Classic favourites: Aidan O'Brien is intent on extending dominance into the French Guineas

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A Classic victory last Sunday has been followed by superb performances in Classic trials by Aidan O’Brien’s team, and he looks to round off a rewarding seven days by taking the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Poule d’Essai des Pouliches back to Ballydoyle too.

True Love and Gstaad finished first and second in the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas respectively last week for O’Brien, who saddles leading contenders in the French Classics.

Puerto Rico, a one-time contender for Newmarket, heads for the Poulains while Diamond Necklace lines up in the Pouliches. Both were Group 1 winners in France last year and both are unlikely to be inconvenienced by their draws or the going on Sunday.

Puerto Rico will be joined by stablemate Dorset in the Poulains, a race O’Brien has won six times, while Venosa accompanies Diamond Necklace in the Pouliches, which was last won by the trainer in 2001. 

Puerto Rico won two Group 1s in France last seasonCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

O’Brien said: “We're happy with Puerto Rico and we think he's ready to start. He obviously ran around Longchamp last year and we've been happy with everything he's doing. 

“Dorset came out of Leopardstown well. It was a bit of a slow and messy race and it was obviously his first run, but he's been good since and he doesn't mind striding along.”

On his Pouliches duo, he said: “Diamond Necklace ran around the track over a mile last year too. She's been doing everything right at home and we've been very happy with her. Venosa doesn't mind going forward and she's a very straightforward filly.”

Could it be a second Classic in eight days for late Sheikh's famous colours?

A week on from Bow Echo’s thumping success in the 2,000 Guineas, the colours of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid are front and centre in a Classic once again.

Hankelow, like Bow Echo by champion sire Night Of Thunder, was a decisive winner of two of his starts last year, and lost out by just a nose on his only other outing.

With Bow Echo always heading to Newmarket, and a preference for some ease underfoot, Hankelow was earmarked for the Poule d’Essai des Poulains by trainer Karl Burke as an ideal starting point for a season which may end up with the three-year-old contesting races over longer distances.

Hankelow and Clifford Lee (yellow) winning the Autumn Stakes at NewmarketCredit: Edward Whitaker

Burke said: “Hankelow is in great form. Rain would be welcome for him and I am looking forward to seeing him run. I think he is a quality horse who could appreciate a slightly longer distance, but a mile on soft ground is a good starting point.” 

Burke will also be represented in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches by Half Sovereign, one of the success stories of 2025 as she progressed from being a 12,000gns yearling to winning a Group 3 before selling to Lady Bamford for €2.6 million at the end of the year.

Her comeback effort at Deauville last month was underwhelming, but she does have the advantages of being drawn low in stall two and having William Buick in the saddle for the first time.

Graffard leads home defence

This day last year was a stressful one for the Aga Khan Studs and trainer Francis Graffard when favourite Zarigana only won the Pouliches following a stewards’ inquiry.

That controversial victory was one of a number of big-race successes for the owner-breeder and trainer in 2025, a season which ended with Calandagan being named the best horse in the world and Daryz winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

This year, the Aga Khan Studs and Graffard are represented in both Classics with Rayif contesting the Poulains and Narissa bidding to emulate Zarigana in the Pouliches, ideally in a less chaotic manner.

Francis Graffard: trainer of Rayif and Narissa for Aga Khan StudsCredit: Edward Whitaker

Nemone Routh, racing manager for the Aga Khan Studs, said: “Rayif galloped really well, so we feel like he’s really back to form. As he hasn’t had a prep he’ll probably need a lot of things in his favour, but the horse is well and we’re very happy with him. 

“The filly is well and she’s got a great turn of foot. She ran a great first race back and we really wanted to treat it as a comeback, it wasn’t a case of win at all costs. 

“The form has got a real boost and she posted the best closing sectionals in both the Prix Marcel Boussac and the Prix de la Grotte. That shows you she has real quality and she just needs things to fall her way.”

Analysis: it looks set to be testing - and a low draw is a must

With the ground advertised as soft (souple) and rain expected on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, it’s fair to assume that conditions are going to be testing for Sunday’s French Classics.

As we saw at the Arc meeting in October, a low draw is a major positive in such conditions and the stats for both French Guineas suggest the same, with no horse drawn higher than eight winning either of these Classics run on soft (or worse) since 2000.

While the cutaway in place since 2019 has meant there has been less in-running trouble, it has made little difference to the draw, including on quicker ground, with just one runner from those 12 Classics defying a double-figure stall (Rouhiya, drawn ten in 2024). A low draw has to be seen as an advantage.

It only seems like a matter of time before Francis Graffard wins his first Poule d'Essai des Poulains having won a host of major international races over the last 12 months including the Arc, the Japan Cup, the Champion Stakes and the King George.

A Group 3 winner second time out as a juvenile, Graffard’s Rayif looked in need of further when third in the 7f Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. He missed an intended prep due to a bug and the turn of foot he possesses is better suited to quicker ground than what’s likely, but he’s hard to put a line through from stall one.

Mijas could have done with a cutaway when getting his head back in front at Longchamp last month, trapped on the rail for most of the straight before getting out in the nick of time. That form has been done no favours by the runner-up in the interim and stall ten won’t be easy to overcome.

A return to slower ground and a low draw could help Elastic reverse form with both Nighttime and Godolphin’s Komorebi, who he finished behind in the Prix de Fontainebleau. Elastic's run is worth marking up because he had his momentum checked at a crucial stage and he could be a dark horse back on his preferred ground.

Graffard is doubly represented in his bid for a third Pouliches on the spin. Mickael Barzalona has chosen to ride Narissa, drawn in stall nine. She may not have won in four outings since her debut but her form got a boost in last week’s 1,000 Guineas when Evolutionist, who beat Narissa in the Prix de la Grotte, hit the crossbar and a big field may just help her settle better.

Green Spirit is closely matched on form with both Narissa and the favourite, Diamond Necklace. She is sure to appreciate a return to soft ground but her jockey Maxime Guyon will need to be at his very best from stall 14.
Analysis by Phill Anderson

What they say

Poule d’Essai des Poulains (2.50 Longchamp)

Louise Bernard, representative for Godolphin, owner of Komorebi
Komorebi looks to have a good chance, having won the Prix de Fontainebleau in good style. We would have preferred to be a little closer to the rails than stall nine, but he has a good temperament and a good jockey in William Buick, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Mauricio Delcher Sanchez, trainer of Mijas and Khovikhov
Mijas and Khovikhov may not be the best horses of the generation, but they both come into the race in very good condition and off the back of good performances. Mijas is very tenacious with a real turn of foot and, above all, a great deal of courage. We have always held Khovikhov in high regard. He comes here in excellent form and with experience. I am not certain that he has what it takes to win, but I am convinced he can acquit himself very well.

Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, owners of Nighttime and Elastic
Nighttime has changed enormously over the winter. He is developing into a very handsome colt and I absolutely do not think that his two-year-old season has left any mark on him. On the contrary, he seems to have taken his races very well. Elastic is also at his peak for this target. Both arrive in very good physical condition.

Victoria Head, trainer of Wootton Centurion
He’s not a horse who shows an awful lot in the mornings so he’s a little difficult to judge. But he’s two from two and so we’ll give it a crack. He doesn’t have an explosive turn of foot but against that, he does what he’s asked to do and because he never wins by far, we don’t know his limits.

Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (3.25 Longchamp)

Mikel Delzangles, trainer of Fashion City
She is in really good form and her last run was a good one. She handles any type of ground and there is rain forecast, though we don’t know whether that will come before or after the race. She can follow any pace and I think the faster they go, the better for her. We’re an outsider but I hope she can run a good race and grab a piece of it.

Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, owners of Green Spirit
Everything went wrong on her reappearance and she should absolutely not be judged on that. She is not very big, but she has strengthened and has a lot of depth. Above all, she has a very good turn of foot.

Henri-Francois Devin, trainer of Maintain
We are bringing her back in trip to follow the logic of the programme and go for the mile of the Pouliches, but she may be stepped up in distance later on. The trip does not worry me but she will certainly be better over a little further later on.

Satoshi Kobayashi, trainer of Showna
We’ve had no problems since the Imprudence and she’s been working fine. She progressed throughout the winter. When she tried 1,600 metres [a mile] at Chantilly she was drawn very wide and that certainly cost her at the end of the race. She posted a fast time in the Imprudence so if they go fast that won’t bother her, while she has plenty of experience, which will serve her well in a big field.

Yann Lerner, trainer of The Last Dance
I don’t see the ground posing a problem, she’s worked well on soft ground at home. She was impressive on her debut and just as good last time, while I see heading to the Poule d’Essai for a third start as a positive.

Chris Wall, racing manager of Victorious Forever, owner of Zanthos
Zanthos is in good form. Last year, no doubt because she came from the breeze-ups, she was always quite keen and wanted to do everything too quickly. She is more relaxed now, which will give her every chance of staying the distance. She has progressed, so we are very confident that there is still more to come from her.

Read more:

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'This is the best chance she will have' - Tom Segal has picks in both Sunday's Classics at Longchamp 

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