THE team that entered the Darley (now Godolphin) Flying Start programme in 2003 was pretty impressive. It was made up of Tan Kah Soon (now a successful trainer in Singapore), Stuart Boman (bloodstock agent), Henry Field (managing director Newgate Farm, Australia), Kate Grimwade, Andriy Ostapchuk (Imperial Bloodstock), Lisa Jane Graffard (Godolphin, France), Edward Sackville (principal at SackvilleDonald Bloodstock), Tina Rau (bloodstock agent), Hanako Varian (director Varian), Michael Dilger (racehorse trainer, USA), Amy Lanigan (David Lanigan Racing/photographer) and Francis-Henri Graffard.

Then last-named established a racing stable in Chantilly in October 2011, having long held the ambition to be a trainer. Graffard picked up a passion for horses through his grandfather, the noted National Hunt breeder, Dr Henri Champliau. Starting his career at Arqana in France, he joined Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley team after Flying Start, before spending three years as assistant trainer to Alain de Royer-Dupré. He met his wife Lisa Jane on the Flying Start course.