Daryz

A contentious G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes is in the cards at Royal Ascot next week, as nine horses have stood their ground, among them John and Thady Gosden trainee Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder). Successful in this race last term, the Godolphin colt faces G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Daryz (Sea The Stars) and multiple Group 1 scorer Minnie Hauk (Frankel) among others. Ascot's dual G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes heroine Kalpana (Study Of Man) is back, as is fellow top-level scorer Almaqam (Lope De Vega)....

Aga Khan Studs' Calandagan (Gleneagles) and Daryz (Sea The Stars) are both on course for British raids, according to trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. Runner-up in the G1 Coronation Cup in 2025, the former has rattled off five Group 1 wins in a row since that defeat and is primed for another attempt at the Epsom contest. Graffard said, "They are both in very good shape and I could not be happier with them. "Calandagan has been trained for Epsom and hopefully the ground will not get too soft. He looks well...

Golden boy of the week has to be Starspangledbanner (though Wayne Lordan and Karl Burke both deserve consideration for that title). To have had both Cartier champion two-year-olds last year was a big enough feather in his cap but for both Gstaad and Precise to progress into Classic winners in the space of 24 hours at the Curragh cements their sire's position among the elite. A more in-depth look at the Starspangledbanner story to date in TDN back in December put forward the suggestion that the best days were still...

To the casual observer at Longchamp on Thursday evening there would not have appeared to be too much wrong with French racing. A lively, sell-out crowd of 10,000 was on course for two reasons: top-class horse racing and an after-party which shimmered through to the small hours while the Eiffel Tower sparkled in the distance.  The 'JeuXdi' initiative of post-racing DJ sets is not new. For some years now Thursday nights at France's flagship track have been filled with young revellers. The difference this week was that for the first...

Thursday, ParisLongchamp, France, post time: 19:33, PRIX AGA KHAN IV (PRIX D'ISPAHAN)-G1, €250,000, 4yo/up, 9 1/4fT Field: Daryz (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Leffard (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), Sosie (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Divine Chrisnat (Fr) (Bow Creek {Ire}), Qilin Queen (Ire) (Pinatubo {Ire}). TDN Analysis: Daryz drops back from the Ganay in which he was so impressive as he tackles last year's winner Sosie. Both are top-class at a mile and a half and have the pace to make a mark over shorter, with Daryz possibly possessing a...

Breeders' Cup Classic hero Forever Young heads a seven-strong entry for Japan in the 2026 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Trained by Yoshito Yahagi, Forever Young became the first Japanese runner to win the Breeders' Cup Classic. He has also won back-to-back editions of the Saudi Cup and boasts career earnings in excess of €25 million. Yahagi has also entered Shin Emperor, who was well-beaten in the 2024 edition of the race.  Byzantine Dream and Alohi Alii are also no strangers to ParisLongchamp. In September 2025, Byzantine Dream lifted...

Godolphin's Opera Ballo will not contest the G1 Prix Aga Khan IV versus the Aga Khan Studs' Daryz (Sea The Stars), and will instead be aimed at the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, according to trainer Charlie Appleby. "We were looking towards the Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d'Ispahan) but we're now going to go straight to the Queen Anne," said Appleby of the G1 Jebel Hatta-winning son of Ghaiyyath, who landed the G2 Mile at Sandown in April. "There are a couple of reasons behind it, firstly...

Hong Kong's Horse of the Year Ka Ying Rising has raised his mark to 130, as the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings were released on Thursday. The son of Shamexpress won the G2 Sprint Cup and the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize recently and has won 20 consecutive races. He broke his own course record in the Chairman's Sprint Prize, prompting the increase of his mark from 128 to 130. Second on rankings is G1 Betfred 2000 Guineas hero Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) at 126, the equal of Daryz (Sea...

Diamond Necklace (St Mark's Basilica) and Precise (Starspangledbanner), both Group 1-winning juveniles trained by Aidan O'Brien, headline 53 entries for the Betfred Oaks at Epsom on Friday, June 5. Unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old, Diamond Necklace was last seen winning the Prix Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp, while Precise rattled off four straight victories as a two-year-old after being beaten on her debut at Fairyhouse, culminating with back-to-back Group 1 wins in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies' Mile. In total, O'Brien has entered 15 fillies in his quest...

It would have been understandable had Pierre Gasnier felt daunted by the task at hand when he succeeded Georges Rimaud as manager of the French studs for the Aga Khan family at the start of 2025. But then, so eventful a year did it out turn to be, it was probably for the best that he didn't have much chance to stop and weigh up the enormity of his new role. For a start, this week brought with it the one-year anniversary of the death of His Highness Aga Khan...

Yesterday's piece with a selection of leaders in the French bloodstock community concluded with a teaser regarding the future stallion career of Daryz, the winner of last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for Francis-Henri Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs. Of course, there is a lot of water to pass under the bridge, and more Group 1s to be won, before a decision has to be made, but it will be a conversation all the same as to whether Daryz takes up residence at the Aga Khan family's Haras...

With a rating of 130, the Aga Khan Studs homebred Calandagan has been crowned Longines World's Best Racehorse for 2025, ahead of five horses from four different countries who all tied for second on a rating of 128. At a ceremony to mark the Longines Racing Awards at the Savoy Hotel in London on Tuesday, it was confirmed that the performance of Calandagan when winning October's G1 Champion Stakes at Ascot was the best produced by any racehorse on the planet last year. The son of Gleneagles - who also...