Daryz dazzles in Prix Ganay, and it's Royal Ascot next

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 ParisLongchamp.

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 and when he did the response was immediate, with the four-year-old quickly going through the gears to seal victory.

The patiently ridden Bright Picture emerged best of the rest in second, with Group One-winning mare Aventure third.

Nemone Routh, manager for Daryz’s owners the Aga Khan Studs in France, told the Press Association: “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.”

Coral cut Daryz to 5-1 from 10-1 to successfully defend his Arc title come the autumn, but connections have several other top-level targets before then, with next month’s Prix Aga Khan IV – formerly the Prix d’Ispahan – viewed as a likely stepping-stone to the Prince of Wales’s Stakes in June.

“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,” Routh added.

“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.”