Daryz

Background

Daryz was bred by Aga Khan Studs in Ireland, and was foaled on 2 May 2022. Daryz was sired by Sea the Stars, a champion racehorse who won several Group 1 races including the 2009 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. His dam Daryakana was also a successful racehorse, winning the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu and Hong Kong Vase. Both Sea the Stars and Daryakana are owned by Aga Khan Studs.

Daryz is trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, who is the principal trainer for Aga Khan Studs, a Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding enterprise that has been owned by the Aga Khan family for four generations. Francis-Henri Graffard also trains Daryz's stablemate Calandagan, another champion racehorse who has found much success internationally.

Racing career

2025 : three-year-old season

Daryz did not race as a two-year-old, and he made his three-year-old debut at the Prix Juigné at Longchamp Racecourse on 6 April as the favourite in a field of 8. From the beginning, Daryz was sent to the front of the pack for most of the race, settling in at around third position. With under 300 meters left in the race, Daryz started to accelerate and he overtook the leader with just under 200 meters to go. Daryz successfully held onto the lead as he crossed the finish line, 3⁄4 of a length ahead of second. For his next race, Daryz was entered into the Prix De Croissy, held at Longchamp over a distance of 2000m. Once again, Daryz was positioned at the front, this time in second plance in the field of five runners. After exiting the final corner, Daryz began his move to take the lead in the last two furlongs to win by 3⁄4 of a length.Daryz's third start of the year was at the Prix Ridgway, a 2000m race at Longchamp. Much like his previous races, Daryz was settled in at the front of the field, and stayed dormant for most of the race before unleashing his turn of foot to secure a comfortable victory by 4+1⁄2 lengths ahead of second.

Daryz's first group race entry was the Prix Eugène Adam, held at Saint-Cloud Racecourse over 2000m. This time, different tactics were employed, as Daryz was positioned in the middle of the pack. He also began his surge considerably later than his previous races, only taking the lead in the final furlong, but he still won by a margin of 3⁄4of a length. In a post-race interview, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard stated, "I didn't really have a good reason for extending him right now. He's not a very expressive colt in the morning, but he's ready."

After a break of two months without racing, Daryz was entered into his first Group 1 race, the International Stakes held at York Racecourse over a distance of 2050m. Although the race has only six entries, it showcased a field of well-established runners such as Danon Decile, winner of the 2024 Japanese Derby and 2025 Dubai Sheema Classic; Delacroix, winner of the 2025 Irish Champion Stakes and Coral Eclipse; as well as Ombudsman, who won the 2025 Prince of Wales's Stakes, and was ranked joint number one horse in the world as of August 10, 2025. During the race, Daryz was positioned tightly within the main pack, completely ignoring the leader, Birr Castle, who had a lead of about 25 lengths in the final straight. As the rest of the runners chased down the leader, Daryz was moved to position on the inside rail among the chasing group. However, Daryz weakened considerably inside the last furlong and placed a disappointing sixth out of six, 12+1⁄4 lengths behind the winner, Ombudsman.

2026 : four-year-old season

With his eventful 2025 season behind him, Daryz returned to training in 2026 to prepare for his first start of his four-year-old season: the Prix Ganay. The race saw a return to the smaller fields that Daryz was familiar with, this time featuring only five runners. Coming into the race, Daryz was the heavy favourite with pre-race odds of 5⁄6. Daryz showed no regression from his previous form, as he had a comfortable ride for the majority of the race before unleashing his turn of foot at the 250m mark to win by an impressive 3+1⁄2 lengths over the second place, Bright Picture. After the race, Daryz's team showered him with praise, with stable manager Nemone Routh stating:"Daryz is incredible! He did it very easily and was very responsive. He stayed extremely focused, even though the pace wasn't strong, and he was highly maneuverable. Mickaël Barzalona, his jockey, told us he didn't even have to ask him—he accelerated on his own. It's really a pleasure to see him win like that. Physically, he looks even better. He has progressed race after race, gaining maturity. He loves to win—he's a very dominant horse with a strong competitive mindset. For us, the decision to keep him in training wasn't that difficult: in the Arc, he had already shown us what we believed about him. We knew he had the class to perform. He has proven he can do everything: 2,400 meters on soft ground as well as 2,000 meters on fast ground. It's important for us to show breeders that he is versatile."Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard also stated, “The horse is definitely stronger and is more mature... It was the perfect race to make his comeback in. They didn't go fast but he was perfectly in tune with what Mickael [Barzalona, jockey] was asking him to do. He got there without being woken up and when Mickael asked him to accelerate he reacted immediately." Graffard continued: “His objective will be the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Ascot in June, and the race that falls in between is the Prix Aga Khan IV [(formerly the Prix d’Ispahan], so we'll discuss that as an option.” At the Prix Aga Khan IV, he breezed through the competition and beat Leffard by 3+1⁄2 lengths and the previous winner, Sosie by 7+1⁄2 lengths. After the race, Princess Zahra quoted:“He's an impressive horse, 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.”

Racing statistics

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Pedigree