By Tom Frary
Any fears that Daryz (Sea The Stars) might need his reintroduction in Sunday's G1 Prix Ganay proved wide of the mark as the Arc hero served notice of what is to come in 2026 with a scintillating display.
Sent off the 7-10 favourite for the 10 1/2-furlong ParisLongchamp feature, the son of Daryakana (Selkirk) cruised through the contest with Mickael Barzalona happy to wait behind the leading pair. Set alight inside the two, the homebred surged to a 3 1/2-length success from the race-fit Bright Picture (Intello). There was another 1 3/4 lengths back to Aventure (Sea The Stars) in third.
“He settled well, as they went very slow and showed that acceleration,” Barzalona said. “I had plenty in my hands for the sprint and he did everything the right way. He's getting more mature and I wouldn't be surprised if he is better this year. Trip doesn't matter to him.”
Francis Graffard has the enviable quandary of keeping the winner and Calandagan apart. “Daryz has gained strength and maturity. Today we had the perfect race for his return–the pace wasn't very strong, but he has more power now and is more assertive in his behaviour,” he explained. “Calandagan and Daryz are quite different. Calandagan builds his races, accelerates progressively and always finishes very strongly. Daryz, on the other hand, has a sharper, more explosive turn of foot. Both are high-quality horses, but with distinct profiles.”
“I'm lucky to work with very good horses, but he is truly exceptional–well-bred with a remarkable physique, especially a superb hindquarter. Looking ahead, the target is already set–the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. Before that, he should run in the [May 21] Prix Aga Khan IV, if everything goes well after today.”
Pierre-Yves Bureau said of Bright Picture and Aventure, “First of all, congratulations to the winner. On our side, finishing second and third is very satisfying. Bright Picture confirms everything he has shown since the start of the year and we're very pleased.”
“As for Aventure, we have some small regrets about how the race unfolded. She didn't get a very smooth run at the decisive moment, but still managed to take a good third place. It's a bit early to make plans. We'll first see how all the horses have come out of their race today.”
Aventure's trainer Christophe Ferland revealed that she will tackle Daryz again next time. “The pace was steady without being very fast. She was still a bit fresh today, but she was nevertheless able to re-accelerate afterward,” he said. “It's not worrying. I think she will improve from this race. Next step will be the Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d'Ispahan).”
A sparkling performance from the Arc hero! 🤩
Daryz proves a class apart in the Group 1 Prix Ganay! 🇫🇷@AgaKhanStuds | @GraffardRacing pic.twitter.com/l3d1DD3o5B
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 26, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Daryz's aforementioned dam, 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 headed by Shamardal's sire Dariyan who was the 2016 winner of this prize. 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), Daryakana's unraced three-year-old colt by Zarak is named Daryzan.
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