French runners at Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot is Flat racing’s premier event and it’s always full of international flavour. While the majority of the runners come from Britain or Ireland, we’ve also seen plenty of French-trained runners in recent years.

Here we take a closer look at some of the key French horses who are likely to make the trip over to Royal Ascot next week. It’s not too often that there’s a big French favourite in one of the main Group 1s so it’s definitely worth taking note.

A history of success

The Coronation Stakes is often targeted by French trainers and Jean-Claude Rouget won consecutive renewals with Ervedya and Qemah in 2015 and 2016, with Watch Me coming out on top for Francis-Henri Graffard in 2019.

More recently, the brilliant Calandagan landed the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes for Graffard in 2024. Fellow Frenchman Jerome Reynier landed the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes with Lazzat last year and there could be more success on the way in 2026.

Rayif - St. James’s Palace Stakes (9/1)

Rayif landed the Poule d'Essai Des Poulains at Longchamp last time out and he has earned a shot at the St. James's Palace Stakes off the back of that success. Dual Group 1 winner Puerto Rico was behind him on that occasion and the pair will lock horns once again.

Progressive at three, Rayif was a winner on debut at Deauville and went on to win a 7f Group 3 after that.

It’s worth noting that he could only manage third behind Puerto Rico on Arc weekend after that but clearly he has stepped forward as a three-year-old so don’t rule him out.

Edaja - Coronation Stakes (40/1)

Francis-Henri Graffard could also be represented by the unbeaten Edaja in the Coronation Stakes and she could be of interest at a massive price.

Clearly the Aidan O’Brien-trained pair of Precise and True Love will be hard to beat but there is an each-way opportunity.

All three of Edaja's starts have come at Chantilly and she won comfortably on debut in February, and followed up by a neck over the same distance next time.

The daughter of Siyouni landed a Listed contest last time out and is entitled to improve.

Daryz - Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (11/8)

Bringing up a hat-trick of Graffard-trained contenders, the brilliant Daryz is rightfully up there as a joint-ante-post favourite, currently 11/8, for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. He managed to get the better of Minnie Hauk in last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and has progressed this year.

Kicking the current campaign off at Longchamp, he contested the Group 1 Prix Ganay and managed to win impressively despite being a little keen in the early stages. His rivals couldn’t get near him in the Prix Aga Khan IV either and a big run could be on the cards.

Defending champion Ombudsman is likely to provide some stiff competition but the Arc form is hard to challenge, making Daryz the one they all have to beat.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.