By Tom Frary
If there was any tension from the Aga Khan Studs team ahead of the latest expedition of Daryz (Sea The Stars) on Thursday, it quickly melted away as the Arc-winning sensation breezed through the renamed G1 Prix Aga Khan IV.
Making light work of the inaugural running of ParisLongchamp's extended nine-furlong Prix d'Ispahan under its revised title honouring the remarkable legacy of the winner's late breeder, the 1-5 favourite who could yet turn out to be one of the very finest produced by the operation brushed aside last year's Grand Prix de Paris hero Leffard (Le Havre) to win by 3 1/2 lengths. Providing context to the display, last year's winner Sosie (Sea The Stars) was beaten a total of 7 1/2 lengths in third, further than he had trailed the winner in the Arc.
“He's an impressive horse,” Princess Zahra said. “He was as cool as a cucumber and it was so steady in terms of performance and he's so versatile in terms of distance. Mickael said he jumped three shadows, but was always in his own tempo and relaxed and I guess he's learning his job. This is what we thought we would see last year, but as a May foal we are now seeing the complete horse.”
This represented another scintillating shift of gear from Daryz, who looked to need all of the mile-and-a-half of an Arc staged on testing ground in the autumn but who seems hellbent on reinventing himself in 2026. If his closing act in last month's Prix Ganay was shocking enough as he posted three sub-11-second splits for a 31.94 finale, this was an emphatic confirmation of his killer instinct over the speedier of the middle-distance tests.
After following the honest tempo set by the filly Qilin Queen (Pinatubo), Daryz churned out a finishing three-furlong split of 33 seconds dead–including a 10.68 penultimate furlong–which was the second fastest on the card behind that of the five-furlong sprint that opened it. Astonishingly, Lazzat had only managed 34.54 in the Prix du Palais-Royal minutes earlier and had failed to dip under 11 seconds at any stage.
The scary part for all concerned with now finding a way to stop him is that Francis Graffard thinks there is more to come. “This was more like a morning gallop for him,” he said. “I think it will help him to get to his best level. His fitness weight is the same, but he has put on so much more muscle. He didn't have a hard blow after the race, so he's probably in good shape.”
Royal Ascot is the next port of call. “Looking backwards from the Prince of Wales's, to have had two runs was very important for me,” he added. “Today was a Group 1, but it was a race that he was supposed to win so there's always pressure. I never had a doubt about his ability to keep up with the pace of 1,850 metres or 2,000 metres and it's always been my idea to start with that. I always find that races over 2,400 metres are hard, especially when they accelerate for a long time like he does–last year, apart from the Arc, he ran over 2,000 metres and people forget that too quickly.”
“What's important is that people can see his ability to accelerate,” he concluded. “What he showed in the Arc and what he showed the other day in the Ganay, that was enough and he's on a very good path. What is certain, however, is that we cannot ask this of him all year long. At some stage he will need a break, probably during the summer, especially if the spring campaign continues as planned. We also know he enjoys the autumn and could again be extremely effective at that time of year. So we will need to be sensible in order to bring him back fresh afterwards.”
For Princess Zahra Aga Khan, the occasion obviously carried momentous significance. “This day carried a very special emotional dimension,” she said. “The race now bears my father's name. He contributed enormously to French, European and Irish racing, as well as to breeding and it is a tremendous honour to see that recognition today. Having a horse like Daryz competing in the race obviously made the moment even more special.”
“We have to appreciate what we are trying to achieve with him,” she added. “Going from an Arc de Triomphe over 2,400 metres to the Ganay over 2,100 metres and now the Ispahan over 1,850 metres as a four-year-old is something quite unusual. It is a gamble, but Francis had confidence in the horse and in his ability to show his speed.”
Barzalona had the joy of steering the brilliant winner and relayed the sensation. “He is the kind of horse every jockey dreams of riding,” he stated. “He is a force of nature with an enormous engine. We thought the British filly would go forward, but we had agreed that I would take the lead if necessary–that shows how much confidence we had in our horse.”
As Princess Zahra had relayed, Daryz's passage through the contest was not as straightforward as it appeared on screen. “At the 300-metre mark, I asked him to concentrate because I could see his shadow appearing,” Barzalona explained. “He had made two mistakes on the way to the start, but other than that he did it extremely easily. I hope he can continue proving that he is the best horse on the track. It is a huge privilege to win a race that bears the name of His Highness the Aga Khan.”
Jean-René Dubosc, assistant to trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, has no doubt about the conqueror of their yard star. “Leffard was beaten by an extraterrestrial,” he said. “It's perfect, we are very happy. The horse ran his race, so there is nothing to complain about. He could head to the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, but we still need to speak with the owners.”
Sosie, who actually ran significantly faster when winning on a livelier surface 12 months ago, was struggling from some way out and the Wertheimers' racing manager Pierre-Yves Bureau offered his insight. “The pace was very strong today, perhaps even a bit too strong,” he said. “He struggled to keep up at first, but once he found his rhythm again he produced a very pleasing finish.”
“We should also remember that this was not the same level of opposition as last year,” he added. “This time we were facing genuine Group 1 horses. In that context, his performance remains interesting and this race will clearly benefit him moving forward. He is also coming back from a trip to Hong Kong, so he needed to regain his rhythm. He still has a whole season ahead of him and will probably return to 2,400 metres in the medium term.”
DARYZ 💚❤️
Last year's Arc winner takes top honours in the Group 1 Prix Aga Khan IV with ease!@GraffardRacing @AgaKhanStuds pic.twitter.com/SHhAUFCha2
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 21, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Daryz's accomplished dam Daryakana (Selkirk), who captured the Hong Kong Vase and Prix de Royallieu when it was a Group 2, is responsible for a total of six Stakes winners and counting including Shamardal's fellow Ganay-winning sire Dariyan who was runner-up in this contest. Among the others are the GII Knickerbocker Stakes scorer Devamani (Dubawi) and the G2 Badener Stutenpreis winner Darkaniya (Frankel), while the second dam is the Prix de Diane and Prix Vermeille heroine Daryaba (Night Shift) who also produced the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris winner Daramsar (Rainbow Quest).
Also connected to the triple Group 1-winning champion and Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Darjina (Zamindar), Wootton Bassett's Prix du Jockey Club, Champion Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes-winning sire Almanzor and the fellow Prix du Jockey Club hero Darsi (Polish Precedent), as well as the evening's Prix Vicomtesse Vigier hero Caballo De Mar (Phoenix Of Spain), Daryakana has the exciting three-year-old colt Daryzan (Zarak) who was labelled a TDN Rising Star on debut at Saint-Cloud this month.
Thursday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX AGA KHAN IV (PRIX D'ISPAHAN)-G1, €250,000, ParisLongchamp, 5-21, 4yo/up, 9 1/2fT, 1:54.43, sf.
1–DARYZ (FR), 128, c, 4, by Sea The Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Daryakana (Fr) (G1SW-HK, GSW & G1SP-Fr), by Selkirk
2nd Dam: Daryaba (Ire), by Night Shift
3rd Dam: Darata (Ire), by Vayrann (Ire)
O/B-Aga Khan Studs; T-Francis-Henri Graffard; J-Mickael Barzalona. €142,850. Lifetime Record: 9-7-1-0, €3,336,530. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Leffard (Fr), 128, c, 4, Le Havre (Ire)–Let's Misbehave (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). (€150,000 Ylg '23 ARQAUG). O-Gerard Augustin-Normand & Ecurie Antonio Caro; B-Ecurie Haras du Cadran & Ecurie Melanie; T-Jean-Claude Rouget. €57,150.
3–Sosie (Ire), 128, h, 5, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Sosia (Ger), by Shamardal. O/B-Wertheimer & Frere; T-Andre Fabre. €28,575.
Margins: 3HF, 4, HD. Odds: 0.20, 9.00, 3.40.
Also Ran: Qilin Queen (Ire), Divine Chrisnat (Fr).
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