Rayif demonstrated a return to top form at Deauville by capturing the Prix Jacques le Marois, one of Europe’s most prestigious mile races. The colt, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, had won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains in early May but experienced a disrupted summer campaign that included a cancelled trip to Royal Ascot and a fifth-place finish in the Prix Jean Prat.
The race featured strong competition, with Aidan O’Brien’s Precise entering as the betting favorite after recent victories in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes. Fozzy Stack’s Prix Jean Prat victor Thesecretadversary established the early pace, tracked closely by Karl Burke’s Zeus Olympios, who assumed the lead inside the final furlong and appeared positioned to secure his first Group One success.
Rayif, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, produced a decisive finishing run to get up and deny Zeus Olympios, with Precise completing the top three. Graffard expressed satisfaction with the performance, noting that the horse had traveled well throughout and displayed the toughness required at the highest level. He emphasized that establishing Rayif as a performer capable of competing at elite levels remained important for the horse’s future prospects.
Graffard outlined several autumn possibilities for his charge, including the Prix du Moulin scheduled for September 6, the Prix de la Foret on October 4, and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot’s Champions Day. Following the victory, bookmakers adjusted odds for the Queen Elizabeth II, installing Rayif as the second favorite at 4-1.
Burke acknowledged Zeus Olympios’s respectable performance, noting the colt had quickened twice during the race and continued showing physical improvement. Burke indicated a preference for targeting the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot over an earlier engagement at Longchamp, with hopes that the horse would secure his first Group One victory either later in the season or the following year.
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