Francis-Henri Graffard is looking forward to seeing one of numerous stable stars back on the track when Daryz takes on six rivals in the Group 1 Prix Ganay (2100m) at Longchamp on Sunday.

The son of Sea The Stars provided both his trainer and leading owner-breeder operation Aga Khan Studs with one of the highlights of the 2025 season when battling off Minnie Hauk to claim the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m).

Highly progressive as a three-year-old, Daryz will begin his 2026 campaign against a competitive field including recent Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt (2000m) winner Bright Picture and last season’s Group 1 Prix Vermeille (2400m) heroine Aventure.

"He's fantastic and looks amazing,” said Graffard, who will be looking for a first success in the early season Group 1 prize. "I started working him a long time ago, not a long time ago but longer than I usually do because he's quite a strong horse and he put some condition on. I didn't want to have him taking me too much time to get him fit. He's been training really well, pleased with him.

"It was always the plan to start him in the Ganay and the horse is ready to go.

"The beginning of last season he was really a 2000m horse. We knew he was going to stay but he needs a good, strong pace and the way he travelled at the racecourse [gallop], I wouldn’t be scared to drop him back to the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan (1850m). I think he has enough speed for that and I'm happy to start him over 2000m.

“My goal is to have him to 100% for the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes (2000m) [at Royal Ascot]. That is ideally what I would like to achieve with him this year. The Arc is still a long way away.”

Photo: Scoop Dyga