May provided a midweek Group 1 treat for racing fans, as the reigning Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe champion Daryz made his next racecourse appearance. The Paris track of Longchamp provided a familiar stage as the son of Sea The Stars lined up in the Prix d’Ispahan.
Held over the 1m1f trip, this year the top-tier contest was renamed in honour of Daryz’s late owner, the Aga Khan IV. If the man behind the famous green silks with the red epaulettes was looking down on the action, he would no doubt have been delighted with the scene, as Daryz delivered in style.
Talented Field Blown Away
| Pos. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daryz | F-H Graffard | Mickael Barzalona | 1/5 |
| 2 | Leffard | J-C Rouget | Cristian Demuro | 9/1 |
| 3 | Sosie | A Fabre | Maxime Guyon | 17/5 |
| 4 | Qilin Queen | Ed Walker | Kieran Shoemark | 35/1 |
| 5 | Divine Chrisnat | C Plisson | Marvin Grandin | 31/1 |
Just four runners turned up to take Daryz on in the Prix Aga Khan VI, but there was no shortage of talent among his rivals. Andre Fabre’s Sosie arrived as a four-time Group 1 winner, with those victories including the Hong Kong Vase and the 2025 edition of this race. Having finished third behind Daryz in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, he was expected to give the favourite the most to do. Jean-Claude Rouget’s Leffard also has a Group 1 win to his name, having claimed the 2025 Grand Prix de Paris at this track, while outsider of the field, Qilin Queen, had scored in Group 2 company. Of the five, only Divine Chrisnat was untested at this sort of level.
Once underway, Kieran Shoemark took the Ed Walker-trained Qilin Queen straight into the lead as the field organised itself in Indian file around the first bend, with Daryz sitting third. And that is largely how it remained until the home straight, where it quickly became clear that Daryz was in a different league to his rivals. With his four opponents all ridden along, the four-year-old sauntered into contention before casually putting more than three lengths between himself and the field to post a comfortable success. Leffard stayed on best for second, with a one-paced Sosie in third.
This represented a first success in the Prix d’Ispahan for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard and jockey Mickaël Barzalona. Daryz, meanwhile, became the first horse since Sagace in 1985 to land the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Prix Ganay, and Prix d’Ispahan hat-trick. Excitingly for British fans, Daryz is set to head to Royal Ascot for his next assignment, as Graffard bids to add the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes to his Group 1 haul.
Superstars Set to Collide in Berkshire
Now a Group 1 winner at 1m1f, 1m2½f, and 1m4f, Daryz is undoubtedly one of the most exciting horses in training. However, so far, he has done all of his winning on home soil. His only previous trip to Britain came in the 2025 Juddmonte International Stakes and ended in disappointment. Sent off at odds of 14/1, he trailed home last of the six runners, fully 12½ lengths adrift of the winner.
Subsequent events proved that the York effort wasn’t anything like the real Daryz. However, he certainly won’t get away with such an underperformance in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. Lying in wait amongst the potential opposition in the Day 2 feature at the Royal meeting is a stellar cast of stars, including:
- Ombudsman – This John and Thady Gosden-trained son of Night Of Thunder will arrive as the defending Prince Of Wales’s Stakes champ. Showing a brilliant turn of foot to claim the 2025 edition, he then came up just short in the Coral-Eclipse but bounced back to land the Juddmonte International in fine style. Fit and well following a comeback win in the Dubai Turf, he won’t give up his title without a fight
- Minnie Hauk – One of the stars of 2025, Minnie Hauk won the Cheshire Oaks, the Epsom Oaks, the Irish Oaks, and the Yorkshire Oaks, before going down by just a head to Daryz in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Looking as well as ever in the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes on her seasonal return, she rates a big threat in receipt of the mare’s allowance
- Calandagan – Also hailing from the Francis-Henri Graffard operation and sporting the Aga Khan silks, Calandagan started 2026 as the highest rated racehorse in the world. The 2025 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Champion Stakes, and Japan Cup winner extended his Group 1 winning streak to five in the Dubai Sheema Classic in March. While this is his only Royal Ascot entry, he may be more likely to appear in the Coronation Cup at the Epsom Derby meeting
- Kalpana – Touted as the filly to follow in the hoofprints of Juddmonte’s Arc heroine Bluestocking, Kalpana didn’t quite live up to those high expectations in 2025. However, she ran some fine races in defeat, including when losing out by just a length to Calandagan in the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and when claiming the Qipco British Champions Fillies’ and Mares’ Stakes. Holding off Dubai Sheema Classic runner-up West Wind Blows to win the Aston Park Stakes on her return at Newbury, she could be a popular each-way option
Quite the potential lineup, but it is Daryz who currently heads the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes betting at a general price of 11/10. Looking further ahead, he is also the 4/1 favourite to defend his Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe crown in October.