Francis-Henri Graffard will target Royal Ascot with Daryz after seeing his Arc hero make a foot perfect start to the season in the Prix Ganay at Longchamp.
The son of Sea The Stars looked a potential superstar after winning his first four career starts last year and while he subsequently disappointed in the Juddmonte International at York and was also beaten on his next start on home soil, he roared back to from to win a pulsating Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October.
Daryz was a hot favourite to pick up where he left off in this extended 10-furlong Group One and having travelled powerfully throughout, it was just a question of when Mickael Barzalona would press go. When he did, the response was immediate, with the four-year-old quickly going through the gears to seal victory.
The winner returned the 7-10 favourite on the PMU and an industry SP of 5-6F.
The patiently ridden Bright Picture emerged best of the rest in second, with Group One-winning mare Aventure third.
⭕ #ParisLongchamp – Prix Ganay @WorldPool by @pmu (Gr.1)
— France Galop (@francegalop) April 26, 2026
Darz (M4 Sea The Stars) réussit une rentrée parfaite en s'imposant dans ce Gr.1 pour les @AgaKhanStuds. Entraîné par @GraffardRacing et monté par Mickael Barzalona, il domine Bright Picture. #WorldPoolbyPMU #WorldPool pic.twitter.com/X8VVgLavHU
Nemone Routh, manager for Daryz’s owners the Aga Khan Studs in France, said: "We’re obviously very happy with that for his seasonal debut – he was suitably impressive.
"We always hoped this was as good as he is and he will probably come on for that race – he’s still got a bit more improvement to come I think this year.
"He’s a very special horse and that’s why we kept him in training as we wanted to prove to everyone his win in the Arc wasn’t a flash in the pan.
"We have always held him in high regard and I think today he’s proved he is a proper Group One horse.
"I think we’re going to drop him back even further (in trip) now as he’s going to go for the Prix Aga Khan IV, which is over nine and a half furlongs, so it’s even a bit sharper than today.
"We would not have any fear of that as he’s a horse who loves a fast pace in a race – he’s actually at his happiest when he can stride out and anyone that rides him says he gives you a feeling that he can follow any pace.
"We hope he’ll be fine dropping back even further and it’s just a very good prep as it falls at the right time for getting him to the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.
"The idea that we had in our minds was the Ganay today, the Prix Aga Khan IV and then the Prince of Wales’s at Ascot. We haven’t quite figured out what we’re doing for the second half of the year, but that’s the plan for the first half of the year."
