Two Arcs and out for Daryz as retirement beckons

Daryz appears unlikely to race again after joining an elite band of dual Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winners with a historic success at sun-soaked ParisLongchamp.

A narrow winner of Europe’s premier middle-distance contest over Minnie Hauk 12 months ago, the son of 2009 Arc hero Sea The Stars became just the ninth horse in history to repeat the dose.

A few doubters emerged after he was beaten into third place in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, but with a dominant display in the Prix Foy four weeks ago restoring any lost confidence, the four-year-old carried the hopes of a nation on his back as he met with a formidable raiding party in Europe’s most prestigious middle-distance contest.

All the big guns were in the mix rounding the final bend, but there was a sense of inevitability about the result when Mickael Barzalona produced Daryz down the outside of the field – and just as Francis-Henri Graffard predicted, his lightning acceleration proved too much for the opposition to handle.

“It was beautiful to witness such a great straight and a great champion, winning with all his power and showing the world how good this horse is,” said the trainer, whose stable star was becoming the first colt to go back-to-back in the Arc since Vincent O’Brien’s Alleged in 1977 and 1978.

“It was a big challenge as the odds were against us as a four-year-old colt and I have to thank Princess Zahra (owner) for allowing me to try it for the horse, because we always believed he was a true champion and last year he was really coming to his best when he won the Arc. It was a big decision to make and I had to put a lot of pressure on Princess Zahra to make it possible.

“There was a lot of pressure, but during the race when I saw him moving with ease on the outside I knew he was going to accelerate really strongly and he did.”

Princess Zahra leads the Aga Khan team and her late father the Aga Khan IV, who died in February of last year, was at the forefront of her mind following the latest big-race success for the famous green and red silks.

“Last year I was really caught up in the moment because I was still suffering loss. This year I just know that he’d be so proud to see a homebred do that twice in a row,” she said.

“Mickael knows the horse very well, he comes to the gallops almost every morning, which is a real positive for an owner-breeder.”

No horse has ever won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe three times, but it seems there will be no hat-trick bid for Daryz, who is clearly a hugely valuable stallion prospect.

“Look, we’re breeders right, and you get to the point where you’re taking a risk every time you run the horse,” Princess Zahra added.

“His mother (Daryakana) improved with age, that’s true, but would we want him to train on for another year? I’m not sure – I think he has other things to do.”