Following the retirement of Alain de Royer-Dupre at the end of 2021, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard will take over the training of the horses based at His Highness The Aga Khan's private training centre at Aiglemont. Situated in Gouvieux, Aiglemont is currently home to 80-90 Aga Khan-bred horses. Past champions bearing the green with red epaulettes trained at Aiglemont include Zarkava (Ire), Dalakhani (Ire) and Siyouni (Fr).
Graffard, a graduate of the Godolphin Flying Start, spent four years at the Darley Racing Office before becoming an assistant to Alain de Royer-Dupre. He went out on his own in 2011 and has celebrated top-level victories with Erupt (Ire), Bateel (Ire), Channel (Ire), Watch Me (Fr), In Swoop (Ire), Wooded (Ire) and The Revenant (GB). The young trainer was sent a few Aga Khan yearlings at the end of 2019.
Alain de Royer-Dupre started training out of Aiglemont for HH The Aga Khan after the passing of Francois Mathet in 1983. To date, Royer-Dupre has trained a total of 77 Group 1 winners for HH The Aga Khan and Princess Zahra Aga Khan including seven French Guineas, a Prix Vermeille, six editions of the Prix de Diane and G1 Prix Saint Alary, five G1 Prix du Jockey Clubs and a pair of G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners.
Graffard will continue to operate out of Chantilly in addition to his new role. The Aga Khan Studs' close collaboration with their existing base of trainers, which includes Mikel Delzangles and Jean-Claude Rouget in France, as well as Dermot Weld, Michael Halford and Johnny Murtagh in Ireland, will also continue.
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