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| Staff Writer |
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French trainer and Godolphin Flying Start graduate, Francis-Henri Graffard is very excited to bring his stable stars Demain, Team Valor-owned Shamrock Glitter, Track of Time and Gallerist.
“Demain is a three-year-old colt who was the runner-up in a 1200m Listed event at Deauville in the summer,” he launches enthusiastically. “I then gave him some time off with the Carnival in mind. He recently made his seasonal return on the all-weather in Deauville, where he also finished second. It was a very good performance and he will be targeting the 1200m races at Meydan.”
2YO Shamrock Glitter, who joined the yard after he was purchased by Team Valor. “It’s fabulous,” digresses Graffard. “The four Dubai Carnival horses are owned by four different owners of four different nationalities.
“Team Valor were absolutely delighted to take him to Dubai for the 1600m races and he could even run in some of the dirt races. He is by Shalaa out of Lady Glitters and I will work him on the dirt and see how he reacts. “The way he moves indicates that he will handle the dirt and Barry Irwin (Founder of Team Valor) said he would love to give him a try on that surface. We shall see once we get there.”
While Shamrock Glitter is the youngster of the bunch, the other horses will all be 4YOs next year. “I will also bring over Track of Time, who was the runner-up in a 2400m Listed and who has just won a 1600m race on the all-weather at Chantilly on his mid-seasonal comeback,” enthused Graffard.
“He is a nice horse, who always delivers and who will run in races between 1800m and 2400m, depending on the opposition. He is quite versatile and hence easy to place in races. And then there is Gallerist, who is one of the best three-year-old stayers in France. He will arrive a little later in Dubai than the other three who left Chantilly last Tuesday.
“I think he arrives on January 5 or so. He is a great horse, who won the 3000m Group 2 Prix Gerald de Geoffre at the end of the month of August. He is a horse I would love to run in the Dubai Gold Cup. I hope that he can prove himself up for that and judging on his form this year, I’m hoping it to be the case. He is owned by an Australian (Matthew Sandblom).
“As I said, it’s great, Demain is owned by a Saudi, Track of Time by a French owner and Shamrock Glitter by an American. And all are coming to run in Dubai.” It is evident that Graffard, who enjoyed his most successful season to date in terms of winners in one season (115, which places him third spot in the French trainer’s table) cannot wait to get to Dubai.
“I have a team of two people to be permanently based with the horses and I will be there for the races on January 5th. And you are right, I cannot wait to come back!” he concludes.
Graffard’s was based in Dubai in 2005 as part of the Godolphin Flying Start programme. Although the programme introduces its students to all the different aspects in horseracing, from breeding of thoroughbreds to business management, he always knew that he wanted to be a trainer.
In 2011, after having worked for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Darley team and then as assistant trainer to Alain de Royer-Dupre, he fulfilled his dream by setting up his yard in Lamorlaye. Very quickly, he established himself as a leading trainer in France and today, with the support of HH Aga Khan, he has grown his operation to one of the biggest, if not the biggest one, in Chantilly.