A younger brother of Daryz, the most recent winner of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Daryzan will attempt an unprecedented feat. Indeed, he only made his racecourse debut on 5 May at Saint-Cloud, where he won very decisively against other newcomers. No horse has ever managed to win the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club with the experience of just one race!

Francis-Henri Graffard said ,“It is a bold gamble, because it is never easy to take on this kind of competition with very little experience. My role is to assess the horse’s mental and physical potential and to adapt his work so that we can respond to his different characteristics. Daryzan should have made his debut earlier in the season, but I went through a period when my horses were a little under the weather, and that delayed his debut. So the fact that he has run only once is also down to circumstances.

Daryzan really matured all at once after his debut race. There is only one Prix du Jockey Club each year: he has the pedigree to take part in this kind of race, so we are taking our chance.

We are fortunate to train in Chantilly, so we were able to take him to the racecourse for a gallop over the track. And this winter, he often went to the all-weather track at the racecourse to do canters. Travelling in the horsebox and seeing the racecourse helped him progress mentally. Last year, he was still very babyish mentally; he could start sweating quickly and get a little worked up.

He behaved very well at Saint-Cloud on his debut. And since the race, mentally, he has really taken a big step forward. He is much calmer, and his morning rider has told us that too. So, of course, on Sunday there will be crowds and the race conditions will be a little different, but we will focus on keeping him in his own bubble so that he is very professional on the day!”

On the opposition, notably the horses trained by Aidan O’Brien:

“Aidan O’Brien is incredible in terms of his results and the way he prepares his horses. He is generally the one to beat at these major events. (…) I am reading in the press at the moment that everyone wants to beat Calandagan. On Sunday, the situation is different because Daryzan has run only once. We are basing our decision on his pedigree, on what he has shown us, and on his talent. Whereas Aidan O’Brien’s horses are much more battle-hardened than he is. But I do like it when he comes to see me after the race to congratulate me! I would still like to stress the importance of the number of runners and the draw we will have.”