All eyes now on Daryz as Arc hero nears return
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Mon 30 Mar 2026
Fresh from seeing Calandagan make a triumphant return to action in Dubai on Saturday, the Aga Khan team are eagerly anticipating the seasonal reappearance of their Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Daryz.
Calandagan ended 2025 as the world’s highest-rated racehorse when following wins in the King George and Champion Stakes at Ascot, he became the first overseas horse in 20 years to win the Japan Cup – and he picked up where he left off with a sublime comeback in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan.
Nemone Routh, manager for the Aga Khan Studs in France, said: “We were very happy. There’s more pressure when you’re the red-hot favourite and everyone says it’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll win, but it is still a horse race and it was his seasonal debut.
“He put on quite a bit of weight over the winter and wasn’t at his normal racing weight, so we weren’t sure whether he’d just matured and that is going to be his racing weight this year or whether he wasn’t 100 per cent fully fit, but he was very well in himself.
“We were quite stressed and then during the race the leader (West Wind Blows) went much further ahead than any of us thought he would, but Mickael (Barzalona) knows him very well and knows what he’s capable of and the horse never lets us down, so it was a wonderful win.”
Summer plans for Calandagan are slightly complicated by his stablemate Daryz, who rounded off last season with a thrilling victory over Minnie Hauk in Europe’s most prestigious middle-distance contest at ParisLongchamp and is now being readied to make his first start as a four-year-old at the same venue on April 26.
“Daryz is going to for the Prix Ganay,” Routh confirmed.
“It’s a nice problem to have, having the two in the same division. We’ve got different objectives with the horses as one is a stallion prospect and the other is a gelding, so Calandagan will probably travel a bit more internationally whereas I’d imagine we’ll keep Daryz to Europe.
“I did have a few conversations with Francis (Graffard) after the race on Saturday about various options and we haven’t really plotted an exact plan for Calandagan yet as we’re waiting for Daryz to come out in the Ganay and see where we are with him.
“The horse seems very well in himself. Francis hasn’t started properly galloping him yet, but he’s been a couple of times on the grass and he’s shown us he’s in really good form.
“I think the one race we would be quite keen to run Calandagan in this summer would be the King George, but he would need a run before that and all this needs to be discussed with Princess Zahra. Summer ground over a mile and a half at Ascot is perfect for him and I think he would be more suited to that race than Daryz.
“We’ve had a lot of people getting quite excited about Calandagan going to the Cox Plate in Australia and obviously everyone wants to get him back to Japan and the race on Saturday was a win and you’re in for the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
“We understand he’s an important horse for racing and we’re conscious of the fact that he’s a horse everyone wants to see now, but we have to respect the horse as well. We’ll get him back home and give him a bit of time off now, wait for Daryz to run and then start plotting who goes where this summer.”
Related posts
Five horses to watch at Cheltenham this week
Dave Nevison's Wednesday tips at Kempton: "he looks very well in"
Saturday ante-post tips: brace of 20-1 chances among five bets
Philip Hobbs and Johnson White 2026-27 Jumps season stable tour
Five changes made at Cheltenham ahead of the 2026-27 season
Todays top offer
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets + Money Back as a Free Bet if 2nd to SP Fav with BOYLE Sports
T&Cs Apply
18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&C's apply. 18+. IRE/NI & UK online only. Max Free Bet £/€10. Win or win part of e/w outright singles. 5+ runners. 1st bet on each race. Free/void/antepost bets don't qualify. In event of a dead heat, offer won’t apply. Applies to First Past the Post result. Unnamed 2nd Favs don’t qualify. Acc & Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.
Claim Now
Featured offers
Get 50% back up to £50 with QuinnBet
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
New UK Customers Only. Bet £10+ on any sportsbook markets at odds of evens (2.00) or greater. Get 50% back of your first day’s losses as a Free Bet up to £50, valid for 7 days. 18+ GambleAware.
Bet £10 get £40 in free bets with Kwiff
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
New UK customers. Place a £10 real money bet at min. 2.0 odds within 5 days of deposit. Get 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 Single, 2 Accas & 1 Bet Builder (min. 3 selections each). Excludes cashout, E/W, Multis, Ineligible Markets & Odds Boosts. Credited after bet settlement. 7-day expiry. T&Cs apply. 18+ GambleAware
Bet £20 and Get £40 in Free Bets with Unibet
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
18+. GambleAware.org. New GB customers only. Min £20 debit card or instant banking transfer deposit. Place a £20+ bet on Horse Racing at min odds 2/5 (1.4) each leg for 4x £10 Free Bets (can be used on Racing Bet Builder). Claim within 30 days. Valid for Horse Racing only. Geographical restrictions and Further T&C’s apply
Bet £10 get £30 in Free Bets with talkSPORT BET
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
New Customers. Opt in, deposit and bet £10+ on any horse racing markets within 7 days of sign up. Get 3 x £10 Free Bets for set horse racing markets. Bonuses expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. 18+ GambleAware
Copyright 2026 Racing TV - All Rights Reserved.
Please bet responsibly
Copyright 2026. All rights reserved