Graffard: Daryz the best I've trained

By Liz Price

DARYZ will on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Racing, bid to emulate the mighty Alleged, the last colt to win the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in consecutive years (1977 and ’78).

Only eight have achieved this elusive double, the two most recent being the fillies Treve and Enable. There is a particular reason why the feat is so difficult for colts to achieve. Having won the Arc at three, they are asked to return at four, when they are physically and hormonally maturing and can become more difficult to manage and keep focused on their racing. 

Daryz was no exception. The son of Sea The Stars and Daryakana proved quite a handful at the beginning of this year, forcing his trainer Francis-Henri Graffard to make some difficult decisions.

“Daryz has always had a lot of character and has always been quite dominant,” explains the Chantilly-based trainer, who, as in 2025, has been enjoying a very good season, with already eight Group 1 victories to his name. 

“Last year, before the Arc, he was really well behaved, but the challenge when you keep a four-year-old colt in training is to keep him focused on his job. The winter is always difficult, as you have to slow the horses down and they can become a bit fresh.

“Unfortunately, I was forced to change Daryz’s very good work rider because he was getting the better of him. It was not an easy decision to make, as you can imagine. It’s always hard to take a horse away from a lad who has done such a good job. 

"I mean, he had just won the Arc with the horse. But I had to do it so that Daryz could remain focused on his work. He is very powerful. When he is in good form, he is a handful and, as I said, we needed him to focus on his work.”

Since the winter, Daryz has been ridden by Jean-Philippe Bresler, a veteran with 46 years’ experience who was recently awarded the Dedication to Racing Award, organised by France Galop and Godolphin. Although Bresler never held a jockey’s licence, he obviously has very good hands. 

“He is a very experienced rider who doesn’t let him play too much,” said Graffard. I think it was very important to keep the horse focused on his job and to make that change at that time. Mentally and physically, he is so strong, but it has worked out really well. As I said, Jean-Philippe knew how to reprimand the horse and how to gain his respect. 

“Everything rapidly went back to normal and the horse is now very professional. I never thought that we wouldn’t be able to manage Daryz; I just needed to make a change. And, by the way, I cannot thank Guillaume Nugot, his former work rider, enough for his work and for understanding that this change was necessary.”

And Nemone Routh, Racing Manager of the Aga Khan Studs in France, added: “Jean-Philippe was actually going to officially retire on 1 October, but he told us that he is going to stay on for as long as Daryz is racing. Obviously, we haven’t made any firm plans as to what happens after the Arc, but we have options. We will have to see what happens on Sunday, but if he were to run again, it would obviously be internationally, because there would be no suitable race for him in France.”

Daryz completed his Arc preparation on Tuesday morning with a gallop on the famous Les Aigles track at Chantilly. Partnered by Mickael Barzalona, who knows him inside out, he left a good impression.

“The work this morning went well. There were three horses with a lead horse, and Daryz was sitting at the back. He came on really nicely under Mickael Barzalona. Mickael was very pleased with him and reported that the horse was fresh and happy to gallop this morning. He had a normal blow afterwards, so we were happy with him.”

The ground at Chantilly on Tuesday morning was good and, with very little rain forecast for the coming days, it looks as though the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe will be run on better ground than is usual at this time of year.

Although Daryz won the Arc in softer conditions last year, Graffard believes that good ground will play to his strengths. 

“I think that Daryz is a ten-furlong horse on good ground with a massive turn of foot. And I think the only reason he won the Arc over 1m4f in soft ground is because he is a very good horse. I really prefer him on good ground because he can produce his turn of foot. So, I’m really happy that the race will be run on good ground.”

It will not be the ground, then, that prevents Daryz from recording a famous double that would place him among the great horses of the modern era. Whether he succeeds or not, for his Graffard, Daryz is already the best horse he has ever trained. And that is coming from the man who last year trained the world’s best racehorse, Calandagan, winner of the 2025 Japan Cup.

“He impressed me in the Prix Ganay and in the Prix Aga Khan IV. He is not a horse that shows much in the morning, but the power he can release when he accelerates really surprised me. Obviously, Sunday is a test and it will be difficult, but in terms of his physical ability to quicken, his power, I think he is the best I have trained.”

The three-year-old VARANDIR, who is also going to run in this Sunday’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, therefore has a lot to live up to. He has followed a similar path to Daryz last year, in the sense that he too progressed slowly through the ranks at the beginning of the year before winning the Group 2 Prix Niel, the recognised Arc trial, four weeks ago.

“Varandir was quite immature, mentally and physically,” said Graffard. “He was a bit soft mentally, and so he actually followed a similar path to Daryz last year. He improved nicely with a win at ParisLongchamp and that led us to the Grand Prix de Paris, where he ran really well. He finished fourth, but was not beaten far. We then saw a massive change during the summer. Physically, he is very athletic and mentally he has matured. So in the Prix Niel, I was quite confident and he confirmed that he had improved. He deserves his start in the Arc and the chance to be competitive.”

Looking at Daryz’s credentials, his current form and the fact that he is the choice of the Aga Khan’s first jockey, it is difficult to imagine Varandir finishing ahead of last year’s Arc winner. But this is a trip he enjoys, and he has done enough to deserve his place in the line-up.

The next few days are going to be quite stressful for the team at Chantilly’s biggest yard, but the main stages of the preparation for the weekend have been completed. Now it is a case of letting things tick over and avoiding any upset to the routine. And, of course, Daryz and Varandir are not the only Aga Khan runners over the weekend.

The Aga Khan-owned ZAYDANN, who suffered his first major defeat when finishing fifth behind Item in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes, is going to run in the Group 2 Qatar Prix Dollar. 

Francis-Henri said: “I think it was a funny and hard race in York and, looking at the Irish Champion Stakes, I’m glad we didn’t run him again before the Arc weekend. I think the horses were quite tired after York. So, with Zaydann, I’m very happy that he had time to recover.”

The Aga Khan colours will also be carried by SAMANGAN, who is running in the Group 1 Qatar Prix de la Foret.  

Nemone Routh said: “He was going to run in the Sprint Cup at Haydock Park. We were going to supplement him, but the ground got very heavy and he is not a horse who appreciates that ground. 

“So, for a good-ground horse who probably doesn’t quite stay a mile, there aren’t many options. We are quite lucky that the ground looks like it’s going to be pretty good on Sunday. He has been working around the bend and he seems to really enjoy it. He is in great form, he looks well and we are very happy with him.”

Another horse in form is the four-year-old filly CANKOURA, who is going to run in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera Longines.

“It’s a very hot race, but the filly is in great form,” explained Routh. “We will be happy if she finishes in the first three. She is very consistent, will like the ground and always runs her race. She is Group 1-placed, as she was just beaten in Saratoga, but this is tough against the likes of Aventure.”

It will be a busy weekend for the Aga Khan Studs and Francis-Henri Graffard, but should Daryz achieve the remarkable double in the Arc, all the stress that comes with preparing these athletes will quickly be forgotten.