(Reuters) -Daryz claimed the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at generous 12/1 odds on Sunday in a heart-stopping finish where the French-trained colt overhauled hot favourite Minnie Hauk in the dying metres of Europe’s most revered flat race.
With 200 metres to go at Longchamp, Daryz trailed by a length but the colt from the famous Aga Khan Studs gathered momentum in a breathtaking charge.
By the 50-metre mark, Daryz was locked neck-and-neck with Minnie Hauk before edging ahead with a final, desperate lunge to seal victory.
“This race has an amazing reputation and when you win it, it is very special,” trainer Francis Graffard said. “His defeat at York (in last month’s Juddmonte International Stakes) helped him to win as it toughened it up for the autumn.
“It’s a big win. I got very lucky that Princess Zahra gives me the confidence (with) these horses.”
It was a first taste of Arc glory for Graffard and jockey Mickael Barzalona as they beat the 9/4 favourite Minnie Hauk, trained by Aidan O’Brien who was chasing his first Arc title since 2016.
Remarkably, this was Daryz’s first time tackling the gruelling 2,400-metre test.
“This is the kind of race you hope to win, it’s the kind of race you’ve been watching since you’re very, very young,” Barzalona told Sky Sports.
“It’s a big privilege to be part of the Aga Khan team… We work all year to be competitive in these kind of races.”
Minnie Hauk’s part-owner Michael Tabor said he thought his horse had won but accepted the defeat with grace.
“Seconditis is a terrible disease. I’m very proud of her, she’s run a blinder,” Tabor said.
“I thought she’d won, but we’re here to fight on another day and she has a great future.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
Comments