Daryz cut to 9-4 for Arc defence after winning return with Francis Graffard warning star is 'a lot stronger' this year

Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here

Francis Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs team came to Longchamp keen for confirmation that last year's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Daryz remains the one to beat in Europe's premier middle-distance race on October 4. 

They returned to Chantilly with ample proof that Daryz is back in his pomp after the blip of a sub-par run at Royal Ascot was swept away with a straightforward defeat of Bay City Roller in the Group 2 Prix Foy, along with a major bonus in the Prix Niel success of Varandir. 

• Trials day analysis: Daryz hardens as Arc favourite - but there's one rival the market is underrating (£) 

Indeed, Graffard could be three-handed after choosing to take the positives out of Sunly's luckless third place behind Friendly Soul in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille. 

Both Varandir and Sunly were cut for the Arc, but it was the reigning champion who will undoubtedly be the one to beat back here in four weeks' time, with Graffard confident his win by a length and three-quarters under Mickael Barzalona in the Foy will put him spot on for his attempt at joining the Longchamp immortals. 

"It went exactly as I'd hoped and we were lucky in that we had a leader who injected some pace into the race coming down the hill, so as a trainer I couldn't have hoped for a better prep run," said Graffard. 

"It was a perfect prep, he'll come on plenty for that and everything was a positive."

Asked how the 2026 model compares with the Daryz who ran down Minnie Hauk in the Arc 12 months ago, Graffard said: "He's a lot stronger and you can see he was mentally in a much better place today. He wasn't the same horse I saw at Ascot. He was sick that day and this was the best possible preparation for him."

Daryz was cut to a best-priced 9-4 (from 3-1) to become the first colt since Alleged in 1978 to successfully defend his title, while Varandir was trimmed to as short as 12-1 (from 33) following his victory in race-record time in the Niel. 

"The Arc is the objective for Daryz and, assuming he comes out of this well, he'll certainly go," said Graffard. 

"Varandir produced a very nice performance and he has every right to run as well. Sunly showed she's a filly with great class too. I'll have to discuss it with her entourage [Juddmonte], but she could go as well. 

"She might easily have won the Vermeille today but was very unlucky, and one day she'll win a big race. 

"All three ran very well, but Daryz had a morning gallop, it was the ideal race, and he looks like my best horse.

Daryz cemented his claims for a second Arc with an easy win in the Prix FoyCredit: Racing Post/Burton

"But you need luck in an Arc when there are a lot of runners and it's no bad thing to have a few chances."

With Varandir and Group 1 Prix du Moulin winner Erdenali having already made it a banner day for the Aga Khan Studs, Bay City Roller's trainer George Scott joked to Daryz's connections on the way into the ring ahead of the Foy that they were "unbeatable".

He also knew by that stage that the ground had tightened to a point where Bay City Roller could run well but would need something to go amiss with his chief rival in terms of winning. 

Neither Barzalona nor Oisin Murphy on the runner-up asked their partner for full effort inside the furlong, with Daryz having by that point established his superiority on this ground.

Daryz and Mickael Barzalona return after winning the Prix Foy

"We ran a fair race and got beaten by a better horse on the day under these conditions," said Scott. "We'll be hoping for different conditions in four weeks' time. But at the end of the day, Daryz is a champion, and he's proved himself on soft ground as well, so we're pretty realistic about the target he sets.

"Our horse is a hell of a lot better with cut in the ground and it's a nice, slick surface today."

Varandir was just shaded by Daryz in the pair's final piece of fast work last week, but showed himself to be a colt who is very much on the up in the Group 2 Niel, as he sprinted away under Barzalona from Alam and Pearled Majesty, with fifth-placed Benvenuto Cellini a shadow of the colt who powered to Irish Derby success and then chased home Kalpana and Calandagan in the King George. 

Varandir catapulted himself into the Arc reckoning with victory in the Prix Niel

Much water can flow under the bridge in the next four weeks, and Varandir is definitely a colt who may have more to give; you could even argue he has the Daryz profile in this year's likely line-up. 

The problem for him and everyone else is that Daryz is not going anywhere.  

Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (October 4, Longchamp)
Paddy Power: 9-4 Daryz, 5 Maltese Cross, 7 Kalpana, 12 Item, Thundering On, Varandir, 16 Bay City Roller, 20 bar.

Read more:

All options open for Friendly Soul including the Arc as supplementary gamble pays off for connections in Prix Vermeille 

Daryz cruises through trial to harden as Arc favourite - but there's one rival the market is underrating 

Francis Graffard has Breeders' Cup in his sights after Erdenali kick-starts big-race treble for trainer and Aga Khan Studs 

Looking for free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.