Blood tests point to Daryz not being quite right at Ascot

Daryz is unlikely to run again before September after returning unsatisfactory blood test results in the wake of his defeat at Royal Ascot.

Last season’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero made a flying start to the new campaign by winning successive Group Ones in France and hopes were high he could banish the memory of a disappointing first trip across the Channel at York last summer on his second start on Britain.

But while Francis-Henri Graffard’s charge was far from disgraced in finishing third behind the brilliant Ombudsman and Minnie Hauk, having beaten the latter when claiming Arc glory in October, connections were adamant Daryz did not run up to his best and now feel they have an explanation as to why.

Nemone Routh, French racing manager and director for owners the Aga Khan Studs, said: “We did all the normal tests on him and got some blood results back this week. They take a bit of time as they need to be cultured and he did come up positive for something, which would explain why he maybe wasn’t 100 per cent at Ascot.

“It’s something very treatable. I know straight after the race Francis wasn’t very happy with the trip he had during the race and we were kind of concerned about how he was in the stables the day before, but once we got the blood results back it did point to the fact something wasn’t quite right.

“The way he finished the race, we just felt it wasn’t like him. He did do the first acceleration quite well and then he kind of fell in a bit of a heap in the last furlong and we know he stays.

“A lot of people put it down to the fast ground, but he has run on good, firm ground many times before in France. I’m not saying he would have beaten Ombudsman, but he just didn’t finish his race well, which didn’t seem right to us. This blood test would explain why that was the case.”

Daryz is now set to return to easier work before building back up for the defence of his Arc title, with the Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp in September pencilled in as his likely prep race.

“He’s a horse you can’t give too much of an easy time because he gets very fresh, but we will back off him. He might do one canter instead of two, but you can’t really take him down to slow work because he’s a big, strong boy and I think he’d get too fresh,” Routh explained.

“We’ll just freshen him up, make him feel happy about life again and try to keep the lid on him and bring him back for September – that’s the plan for the moment.

“We haven’t had a big team discussion yet, but I know what Francis has got in his mind and that is something like the Prix Foy. That is the obvious Arc trial for a four-year-old and I don’t think he carries a penalty for any of his Group One wins this year.”