'She was unbelievable in the Diane' - Francis Graffard calls up Tom Marquand for Arc ride and has high hopes for his trio

Francis Graffard insists that none of his runners in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe should be discounted, with Daryz, Gezora and Quisisana all leaving him with no choice but to run them given their recent performances.

Prix de Diane heroine Gezora, who will be a third ride in the Arc for Tom Marquand, and Quisisana, winner of the Prix Jean Romanet, have gained free supplementary entries through winning designated legs of the new Arc Races series.

Meanwhile, Daryz reassured Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs team with a fine second to leading Japanese hope Croix Du Nord in the Prix du Prince d'Orange, when he bounced back from a head-scratching performance in a falsely run Juddmonte International.  

“I would never want to run a horse just for fun and all three have played their way in,” Graffard told a France Galop press call. “The fillies are Group 1 winners and have every right to be there and Daryz, if you compare his form with Bay City Roller in the Prix Niel, he should be there too. 

“There is no shortcut in terms of preparing a horse for the Arc and you can’t just give it a go. You really have to target the race and all three have done that, so when their owners asked me if we should go or not, I’ve said we have absolutely nothing to lose and none of them are there as a tourist.”

Tom Marquand has come in for another big-race spare aboard Gezora Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Winner of the St Leger on another outside ride in Scandinavia, Marquand finished third in the 2023 Prix de Diane on Tasmania for Graffard. He has been called up by the trainer as part of the jockey merry-go-round that has resulted from Christophe Soumillon committing to Aidan O’Brien during Ryan Moore’s recovery from a broken leg.

Graffard said: “Tom Marquand will ride Gezora. She was unbelievable the day she won the Prix de Diane, when she really showed she was up to that calibre. We gave her a three-week holiday after that and because she had qualified for the Arc by winning the Diane, we geared her autumn around the race. 

“She ran a really good comeback in the Prix Vermeille when she wasn't at 100 per cent, and Aventure was very tough to beat that day as it was a big objective for her. It was the perfect comeback to encourage us to give the Arc a crack."

Generally a 16-1 chance before the announcement that Marquand would take the ride, Gezora is no bigger than 14-1 to give Graffard a first win in the race.

While he has positive reasons to believe in all three of his runners, he admitted that the daughter of Almanzor is the most straightforward ride in a big field. She is more likely to be less adversely impacted should the ground come up testing in Sunday’s €5 million showpiece too. 

“She's a very straightforward ride, she doesn’t stress,” said Graffard, allaying any fears about Marquand’s unfamiliarity with his mount.

If Gezora is the “cool one”, then Quisisana is a mare who Graffard speaks about with genuine love and reverence.

Francis Graffard: intending to saddle three runners in the ArcCredit: Edward Whitaker

“She's a beautiful mare and a real force of nature with a wonderful physique,” he said of the lightly raced five-year-old, the mount of Alexis Pouchin. “I wouldn’t want really deep ground for her because she has a great turn of foot, her coat is in fantastic condition and her work has been excellent.

“Quisisana has a great long stride on her and we don’t want her trapped on the rail with no pace. She needs to be at ease with herself. 

"With Daryz it’s more a case of his mental maturity, and if he were in amongst horses and they go slow, he could pull a bit and would not be the easiest ride.”

If that was one negative Graffard offered about the Aga Khan Studs’s three-year-old Sea The Stars colt, he can see plenty of positives in a horse who was unbeaten before his no-show at York.

“He ran really well in the Prince d’Orange and was a little bit unlucky to be beaten, and he has a real turn of foot,” said Graffard. 

All 17 entries stood their ground after Tuesday’s second forfeit stage, and the greatest uncertainty in the race remains the weather. The warm, dry end to September in Paris continued on Tuesday, with the penetrometer reading tightening a fraction from 3.7 to 3.6 (souple), while the GoingStick description was good ground (7.7) at Longchamp.

Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle walk the track at Longchamp at last year's Arc meetingCredit: Edward Whitaker

The dry conditions will continue on Wednesday and Thursday but various forecasters predict more than 20mm of rain late Friday into Saturday, with the ground known to be particularly vulnerable to wet weather the closer to raceday it arrives. 

Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (3.05 Longchamp, Sunday)
William Hill: 4 Minnie Hauk, 9-2 Aventure, 8 Byzantine Dream, Croix Du Nord, 12 Kalpana, Sosie, 14 Gezora, 16 bar.

Read more on Arc weekend:

'She can progress into another gear' - Minnie Hauk hardens as Arc favourite after Aidan O'Brien gives star filly green light

Trainer operating at 31 per cent strike-rate planning Group 1 tilt with two horses at Arc meeting 

The Kalpana conundrum: can Britain's leading Arc fancy end her rollercoaster season on the ultimate high? 

Seventeen remain in Arc following first forfeits on day that Daryz delights on gallops alongside Calandagan 

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