The Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques Le Marois, the third Group 1 (the highest level of horse racing) of the 2026 Deauville Barrière Meeting, went to French three-year-old colt Rayif. Held up for a long time in the group racing on the far side, Rayif made his move 300 metres from the finish and prevailed by a neck over British-trained Zeus Olympios, who looked a possible winner but whose jockey lost his whip (which did not help, even though he would not have beaten Rayif). Irish-trained Precise finished strongly to take third place, half a length further back.

Rayif gave his owner and breeder, the Aga Khan Studs, a first victory in the race since Kalamoun in 1973! Like Rayif, Kalamoun had won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains before going on to win the Prix Jacques Le Marois. This rare double had not been achieved since Vahorimix in 2001…

Rayif’s victory is all the more symbolic as his owners and breeders, The Aga Khan Studs, have sponsored the Prix Jacques Le Marois since last year.

Graffard-Aga Khan in flying form

Trained in Chantilly, Rayif also enabled a French representative to return to the winner’s circle in this race, nine years after the last French success, in 2017. Francis-Henri Graffard won his first Prix Jacques Le Marois and his second Group 1 of the meeting, following Samangan’s victory — also for The Aga Khan Studs — in the ARC Prix Maurice de Gheest - FEE - En mémoire de Louis Romanet on 9 August. Jockey Mickaël Barzalona also added his name to the race’s roll of honour for the first time.

Rayif came into the race on the back of a fifth-place finish in the Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Prix Jean Prat (Group 1), run at Deauville on 12 July. The colt is now expected to head to Ascot (GB) for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1).

The two Japanese representatives, Strauss and Sixpence, raced away from the rest of the field on the stands’ side. They were never able to get involved and filled the last two places.

Photo: Scoop Dyga