The Revenant primed for QEII challenge at Ascot

French raider seeking to regain Group One title.

Francis-Henri Graffard is confident The Revenant is at the top of his game ahead of his fourth appearance in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

The seven-year-old was runner-up to King Of Change in the 2019 running of the Qipco Champions Day Group One and went one better 12 months later.

He could finish only fourth behind the brilliant Baaeed when defending his crown last year, but Graffard is looking forward to seeing his stable stalwart return to Berkshire after finishing second to Erevann in his bid for a third win in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein two weeks ago.

Ryan Moore has been booked to partner The Revenant for the first time.

“He’s in very good shape. He’s a seven-year-old gelding and it will be the fourth time he has come to Ascot, which is quite amazing,” the trainer told Sky Sports Racing.

“The horse was very strong this year. He won both his races in the spring and then we had to wait for the autumn, as we always do, especially this year with the heatwave we had and the very dry summer.

“His comeback in the Moulin was very impressive on fast ground and the other day he just got beaten by a very good horse, but came on a lot for the race.

“My horse came on the outside on his own and accelerated very strongly – and like last year and two years ago, the Wildenstein brought him on a lot. He needed the race, so he will be spot-on for Saturday.”

The Revenant is one of three planned Champions Day runners for Graffard, with both Sweet Lady and Verry Ellegant scheduled to contest the Qipco British Champions Fillies And Mares Stakes.

Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard (left) at Newmarket
Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard (left) at Newmarket (David Davies/PA)

Sweet Lady has been kept fresh since winning the Prix Vermeille at ParisLongchamp last month, while last year’s Melbourne Cup heroine Verry Elleegant gets another chance to prove herself on European soil following a largely disappointing spell in France thus far – most recently finishing down the field in the Prix de Royallieu after failing to make the cut for the Arc.

Gregory Benoist keeps the ride on Sweet Lady, while Mickael Barzalona replaces Australian ace Mark Zahra aboard Verry Elleegant.

Graffard added: “We were very pleased with Sweet Lady’s run (in the Vermeille) and I said to the owner straight after the race that we would not go to the Arc and we would focus on Ascot as it would give me two more weeks.

“I know my filly well and she needed a bit of freshness after her last run. She’s in very good shape.

“I’m very upset and frustrated for Verry Elleegant. She has improved so much, as I always said she would, and the race at ParisLongchamp was spot-on for her with the distance and the ground, but everything went against her.

“From a work morning I can tell she’s a very talented mare and we haven’t been able to show it in the afternoon, unfortunately.

“With a bit of pace and cut in the ground and a clear run, I think she can run a big race on Saturday and I really hope for her because she deserves it.”

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