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20 Jan 2026
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20 Jan 2026
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Francis-Henri Graffard will look to the Prix Ganay as a starting point for his Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Daryz.
The four-year-old enjoyed a fine campaign in 2025, winning his first four starts before a disappointing effort in the Juddmonte International – a run he left well behind as he improved from a narrow defeat in a ParisLongchamp Group Three to win the autumn highlight in October.
With Graffard and owner the Aga Khan Studs also counting the world’s highest rated horse in Calandagan in their team, they are eager to take separate tracks with their star performers, with Daryz sticking to European targets while his more seasoned stablemate takes on a more international remit.
“The quality of the horses in the stable is increasing, I have to think a lot about the programme and campaign them properly. Hopefully the opposition will be scared to see us coming,” said Graffard.
“Daryz will stay in Europe over a mile and a quarter to begin with, and Calandagan we will take aboard. That’s where we are lucky, because we have a horse like Calandagan that can travel the world.
“Daryz will probably start out in the Prix Ganay, over a mile and a quarter at Longchamp. Hopefully he can be competitive in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (at Royal Ascot) in June, then we will see if the Eclipse (at Sandown) can be an option.”
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