Qatar Prix du Jockey Club 2025 : Nemone Routh, Mikel Delzangles & Francis-Henri Graffard Manager and trainers of the Écurie Aga Khan

Quotes from the connections of the expected runners in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club 2025

Nemone Routh, Mikel Delzangles & Francis-Henri Graffard

Manager and trainers of the Écurie Aga Khan

Their runners: Ridari and Azimpour

The Aga Khan Studs are certainly the most well-known stable in the world. For more than a century, this famous racing silks has won all the French, British and Irish classics, with particular success in France, where the majority of its string is currently trained by the Chantilly-based Mikel Delzangles and Francis-Henri Graffard under the supervision of Nemone Routh. The “Aga’s” have won the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club eight times with Charlottesville (1960), Top Ville (1979), Darshaan (1984), Mouktar (1985), Natroun (1987), Dalakhani (2003), Darsi (2006) and Vadeni (2022). Top Ville and especially Darshaan have left a lasting mark on the history of European breeding thanks to the high quality of their progeny at stud.

In 2025, in France, the Aga Khan stable is having what is certainly its best start to a season in a very long time, with already 30 wins from 88 runners, an exceptional success rate of 34%! This year, the “greens” will be doubly represented at the start of the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, with Azimpour, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, and Ridari, trained by Mikel Delzangles. Winner of the Prix de Fontainebleau (Gr3), Ridari finished fifth in the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Gr.1). Second in the Prix la Force (Gr.3), a classic trial, Azimpour then finished fourth in the Prix de Suresnes (L).

To date, neither Mikel Delzangles nor Francis-Henri Graffard has won a classic race with colts in France. But both have won classics with fillies in France and with colts abroad Francis-Henri Graffard has won the Prix de Diane, the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches twice, and once the German Derby. Mikel Delzangles has won the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches twice and once the 2,000 Guineas in Great-Britain.

THEIR QUOTES

Extracts from the press conference organised by France Galop

Nemone Routh: “The Jockey Club is one of the main races of the season. It is a race to win if we want to project our horses toward a stallion career. Very good stallions have come out of this race. The Prince has won it eight times, his grandfather once. The family is aiming for a tenth victory! Having runners with a chance in this race is one of the goals of the year. The two colts are in great shape.”

Nemone Routh on Ridari: “Before the Poule, we weren’t certain that Ridari would run in the Jockey Club. He is a colt who can be keen and we had some doubts about his stamina over 2,100 meters. In the Poule, because of the very fast pace, he was almost outpaced. Mickaël Barzalona is convinced he can stay. Ridari has matured. He was born late, on May 14.”

Mikel Delzangles on Ridari: “The colt seems very well to me. He recovered well from his run in the Poule even though it was not a simple race. They broke the track record. I think he has physically progressed again. There is nothing to criticize in his classic performance. He was slightly outpaced at the start before producing a very nice final straight. He was even hampered a few meters from the post by the second-placed horse, which probably cost him fourth place or even third. The Prix du Jockey Club has been run over 2,100 meters for several years now and the Poule is a good trial. Ridari was a bit tense at two and we weren’t sure about stepping him up in trip so quickly. His behavior keeps improving. I have no doubt that he will stay 2,100 meters. I also trained his dam and there are many similarities between them. They are horses with a lot of blood. Physically they also resemble each other a little. As long as the son has as much talent as the mother, that will be great! You need a horse sufficiently precocious to be at peak form at three years old. You cannot run this race with a horse you don’t feel is mature enough to compete. We know that for a 3-year-old to reach this level, at this moment, the road is tough. It’s a race that can leave its mark. You should only run it if you have a good chance with a colt fit enough to handle it. Otherwise, they need 12 months to recover! For the Jockey Club, you need a 1,600-meter horse who can stay 2,100 meters. But a very good 1,600-meter horse can handle 400 meters more without a problem. I would not want the ground to be very heavy, but that likely won’t be the case. I think the colt handles all types of ground. We never want to run big races on very heavy going. Whether it’s fast ground or soft ground, it will suit him. The step up in distance will be beneficial.”

Nemone Routh on Azimpour: “He is very well-bred. His dam is a half-sister to Azamour and his brother has won five Gr1s in Australia. He is a handsome colt. He disappointed us a bit in his last race but he didn’t walk well after the race. Upon returning to the stable, we found nothing to explain the performance. He will be less backed than Ridari but he has class. We’ll need some luck with the draw and a good trip. Azimpour will be ridden by the superstar Clément Lecoeuvre!”

Francis-Henri Graffard on Azimpour: “In the mornings, Azimpour has a lot of character. He is sluggish and a bit playful. On his comeback, I liked him a lot. Right after that, I targeted the Listed race at Chantilly, thinking of the Jockey Club. I cannot explain his poor performance. He had a nice move before fading. Back at the stable, we found nothing. The colt is in magnificent condition. His preparation has been perfect. I am very happy with his condition. Together with his connections, we decided to maintain his entry in the Jockey Club. We would have preferred slightly softer ground but we will deal with it.”

Francis-Henri Graffard on Clément Lecoeuvre: “I had tried to hire Clément when he was based in Germany. At that time, he had no intention of returning to France. When he did come back, I had already committed to another stable jockey. I have always followed his career and, this year, with the Aga Khan stable and Aiglemont, we needed another rider to gallop the horses. Clément is someone who is mentally strong and has been able to adapt to our method. He has stepped up to the plate. He comes to work the horses every day, during strong turf gallops. Last Sunday, we had the opportunity to reward him by giving him a good ride in the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier. He is clearly a talented individual.