Daryz wins the Qatar Prix Foy and strengthens his position as Arc favourite
Daryz wins the Qatar Prix Foy and strengthens his position as Arc favourite
He was the most highly regarded horse going into the Qatar Prix Foy (Group 2) on Sunday at ParisLongchamp, and Daryz lived up to expectations with a dominant victory over his rivals. Winner of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2025, the French thoroughbred, trained at Chantilly by Francis-Henri Graffard, has established himself as the favourite for the next edition, which will take place on Sunday, 4 October at ParisLongchamp.
This Sunday, the race was led by the British-trained Bay City Roller, with Daryz following him. With 400 metres to go, Daryz challenged the leader before sweeping past him with great ease. He eventually won by a length and a half from Bay City Roller. The French-trained Uthred, bred by footballer Antoine Griezmann, whose colours he also carries, finished third, three lengths further back.
Daryz was making his fourth start of the year. His first two had resulted in victories in the Prix Ganay World Pool by PMU (Group 1) and the Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d’Ispahan). He had not been seen since 17 June, when he finished third at Royal Ascot (England). Returning to competition after an absence of nearly three months, Daryz should improve further for today’s victory ahead of his major target in early October.
Thanks to his victory in the Qatar Prix Foy, one of the races in the Arc Races series, Daryz earns a Wild Card for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. As he is already entered in the race, he will benefit from the scheme introduced by France Galop: the entry fees already paid will be refunded.
Daryz, a 4-year-old, was bred by and is owned by the Aga Khan Studs. He is trained at Chantilly by Francis-Henri Graffard.
Official Result
QATAR PRIX FOY
1st DARYZ (M. Barzalona)
2nd BAY CITY ROLLER (O. Murphy)
3rd UTHRED (C. Demuro)
Time : 2’30’’89. Margins : 1 3/4 – 3,5 – 11.
Reactions from connections
Francis-Henri Graffard, trainer of Daryz (1st), Chantilly (60)
“It was important for Daryz to show this kind of behaviour and this calmness on his return to racing. It had already gone very well at Deauville during his public gallop at the racecourse. Today, everything went as well as possible. The horse was very professional to ride and really relaxed. The race also unfolded well, with Bay City Roller going to the front and getting the race going at the top of the rise. Daryz took hold of the bit nicely at that point. He accelerated well in the straight. He is now only six kilos above his racing weight, so he will be perfect for the day of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.”
Nemone Routh, racing manager in France for the Aga Khan Studs, breeder and owner of Daryz (1st), Chantilly (60)
“During his gallop at Deauville, with the race-day atmosphere, Daryz had already been very calm. Even the two lead horses were much more on edge than he was! At Ascot, there were excuses for his third place in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. He arrived early in the morning on the day before the race, and there was activity outside his stable door throughout the day, which upset him. Then his tests revealed that he was positive for a minor virus. There was no way of knowing that in the morning because he is so good that he does everything easily… This victory reassures us 100%, although his recent work had already fully convinced us that he was in very good form. Now, fingers crossed for Sunday, 4 October! We can’t wait to see him in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.”
George Scott, trainer of Bay City Roller (2nd), England
“His jockey Oisin Murphy was very happy with Bay City Roller. And obviously, we hope to have different circumstances in a month’s time. We know this horse has already shown a very high level of form on ground like this, but when it rains, he is a completely different horse. He came here, travelled very well throughout the race, was relaxed all day, behaved very well in the race and was simply beaten by a better horse. In four weeks’ time, that may still be the case… but perhaps not. What we take from today is that we have to hope it rains in four weeks’ time and that the horse remains in very good form.
“Today, we didn’t really have any other choice but to go to the front. We wanted to give him a proper prep race. I think we set a very even pace and we learned a few more things today. Obviously, we would like different circumstances. He breaks very quickly from the stalls and naturally puts himself in a good position. We are looking forward to October. He will come back here as an outsider. Of course, Daryz is a champion and he is incredible on this track. Everything was perfect for him today. He came into the race under ideal conditions. But I was very happy with our horse and I know Oisin was too.”
Philippe Decouz, trainer of Uthred (3rd), Chantilly (60)
“I thought Uthred ran very well. The idea was to ride him with cover. He had worked very well this week and, when I saw there were only a few runners, I still had some doubts about the distance. But I told myself that we would ride the race to suit him. It took him a little while to relax but, once there was some pace, he settled. What I liked was the way he picked up again in the straight and still had plenty left behind those two Group 1 horses. What he did was really good and it reflects what I had been seeing in the mornings. It has been a slightly complicated year because he was ill at the end of last year and at the beginning of this year, when he ran poorly in Germany. Today, he has run to a rating of 49 or 50, which is Group-class form. Looking ahead, we could go for the Prix du Conseil de Paris (Group 2) or a race abroad, depending on what happens when he goes through the Arc Sale.”
30 days to the Arc – Qatar Arc Trials day, the last chance to secure a ticket!
One month before the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, on Sunday, 6 September at ParisLongchamp, the Qatar Arc Trials will see the winners of these three major prep races (Qatar Prix Vermeille, Qatar Prix Niel and Qatar Prix Foy) automatically receive a Wild Card, allowing them to line up in the Arc. The entry fee will be refunded to the winners of the Qatar Arc Trials. More importantly, if they are not already entered, these horses will benefit from a free supplementary entry worth €120,000.