Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Daryz is set to remain a fixture in Europe's premier middle-distance contests in 2026, after the Aga Khan Studs confirmed that the son of Sea The Stars will stay in training as a four-year-old.
“We let the dust settle a bit and we decided on Sunday to enjoy the moment before we regrouped to think about it, which we did this morning,” said Nemone Routh, racing manager for the Aga Khan Studs.
“There was Francis-Henri Graffard [trainer], Princess Zahra [owner] and the team. We just felt he's only really coming into maturity now and everything aligned for him on Sunday. Whilst he wasn't among the favourites, it wasn't a huge surprise to us as we always felt he was top class, which was why we took him to York [for the Juddmonte International] in the summer.
“We felt if we rushed him off to stud it would look like we didn't have confidence in the horse and that is entirely not the case. There's risk involved keeping him in training, but we felt there was more to come from him. There are lots of good races in Europe over 10 or 12 furlongs he can run in, so we thought it was the right thing to do.”
Daryz made his debut in April this year and gained his fourth victory from as many starts when winning June's G2 Prix Eugene Adam at Saint-Cloud. Prior to his first Group 1 success in the Arc, he finished last of the six runners in the Juddmonte International and a narrow second to Arc also-ran Croix Du Nord (Kitasan Black) in the G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange at ParisLongchamp.
“He was a May foal and he didn't race at two,” Routh continued. “He's never put a foot wrong, apart from that one race at York when everyone came away thinking it was a strange race, so I think people will forgive him that.
“We'd like to show what he's capable of next year. We all just felt it was the right thing to do and I think it's good for the sport. What's exciting is, along with the best three-year-old filly [Minnie Hauk], they were five lengths clear of some very good horses.”
Daryz will now be rested before returning for his four-year-old campaign, with Routh ruling out a tilt at next month's GI Breeders' Cup Turf.
She added, “Because the Arc is a 'win and you're in' race, we did take the blood tests and everything, because you do have to get sorted early if there's even a small chance of going.
“We weren't ever really thinking about it, though. Even before Sunday, to be honest, as we always thought he would be staying in training until he won on Sunday! We'll leave him alone now. He really gave his all and he has earned a rest.”
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