This Sunday, 6 September, ParisLongchamp Racecourse will host a top-class card featuring the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Group 1), the Qatar Arc Trials and the Qatar Cup – Prix Dragon (Group 1 PA).

Four weeks before the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, three prep races make up the Qatar Arc Trials: the Qatar Prix Vermeille (Group 1 – the highest level of international competition), reserved for fillies and mares aged three and over; the Qatar Prix Niel (Group 2), for three-year-old colts and fillies; and the Qatar Prix Foy (Group 2), open to horses aged four and over. These three races offer Arc contenders one final opportunity to fine-tune their preparations on the ParisLongchamp track ahead of the big race on 4 October.

Two other highlights complete the card. The Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is a Group 1 contested over a mile (1,600 metres); the Qatar Cup – Prix Dragon, reserved for Purebred Arabians, is the major prep race for the Qatar Arabian World Cup, the true “Arc de Triomphe” of the Arabian breed.

Aga Khan Studs ready for action

Aga Khan Studs will be particularly well represented at ParisLongchamp on Sunday. Three of their homebreds and representatives, all trained in Chantilly by Francis-Henri Graffard, will take part in the day’s main races: Daryz in the Qatar Prix Foy, Varandir in the Qatar Prix Niel and Erdenali in the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

Nemone Routh, racing manager for Aga Khan Studs in France, gives an update on their contenders.

Daryz: the road to a second Arc goes through the Foy

Winner of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2025, Daryz will attempt to retain his crown on 4 October. His quest for a second Arc will first take him to the Qatar Prix Foy (Group 2), one of the three Qatar Arc Trials.

Now a four-year-old, Daryz has raced three times this season. He won the Prix Ganay World Pool by PMU (Group 1) on 26 April at ParisLongchamp, before winning the Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d’Ispahan) at the same racecourse on 21 May. He has not been seen since 17 June, when he finished third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1) at Royal Ascot.

Nemone Routh: “Everyone is waiting to see Daryz! He is in really great form. At the moment, we find him very relaxed and focused. During his gallop at Deauville, he was really very calm, and it was the same again this Tuesday morning for his gallop on Les Réservoirs (one of the tracks at the Chantilly training centre). His jockey, Mickaël Barzalona, really felt that he was listening to him. He won’t be at 100% on Sunday because we want him to be at his peak for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which is our main objective.”

Varandir on the road to the Niel

Fourth in the Cygames Grand Prix de Paris (Group 1) on 14 July at ParisLongchamp, Varandir will line up in the Qatar Prix Niel (Group 2), the Qatar Arc Trial reserved for three-year-olds.

Nemone Routh: “Varandir galloped with Daryz this morning. He is a horse who has progressed as the year has gone on and who gives his best every time. He knows the course well and is really well suited by this distance. It will be a strong field, with Group 1 winners, so it is of course still quite a difficult race.”

Erdenali faces the Group 1 test

Impressive when making a winning debut on 29 March at Saint-Cloud, Erdenali then followed up with two more victories, including the Prix de Saint-Patrick (Listed) on 27 June at Deauville. The three-year-old gelding (who is not eligible to run in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, as the race is not open to geldings) subsequently finished third in the Prix Messidor (Group 3) on 19 July at the same racecourse. On Sunday, he will take another step up in class when he lines up in the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Group 1).

Nemone Routh: “We had several horses entered in this race, including Rayif, but we decided to give him some time after his victory in the Prix Jacques Le Marois, and also to give Erdenali his chance. Last time, in the Prix Messidor, he was really unlucky and should have won. After discussing it, we decided we would take our chance in this Group 1 rather than run in another Group race. We will really find out where he stands at this level in such a high-quality field and, above all, it will help us decide what comes next. In the mornings, he is a very understated horse who does the minimum. He is quite difficult to assess from what we see on the training track. That is also why we were surprised by his promising debut.”

Photo: Scoop Dyga