DARYZ, a likely heir apparent to his sire”. In case you think this is an obvious thing to say after last Sunday’s Group 1 Qatar Pric de l’Arc de Triomphe, I am chuffed that it was my headline back in June when the three-year-old colt, trained by Francis Graffard, won the Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam.

The Aga Khan family was celebrating another big race success on the same day and on the same card at Saint-Cloud, as Calandagan was victorious 90 minutes later in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, and he went on to win the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes a month later. Calandagan would have been an obvious choice for the Arc but there was one major obstacle – geldings are not allowed to compete in the best autumn race in Europe.

I do not know what the view of Princess Zahra Aga Khan is on the matter of geldings being barred, but in light of what happened at ParisLongchamp at the weekend, she might be happy with the rule – at least for the moment. Calandagan’s inability to race will have turned the team’s attention to Daryz, about whom Graffard waxed lyrically after he won the Eugene Adam.

Sea The Stars

A son of Gilltown Stud -based Sea The Stars (Cape Cross), Daryz has always been held in high regard by his trainer, and his comments after the Group 2 success made that clear. The three-year-old was supplemented for the Group 1 Juddmonte International, an action the Aga Khan team perform with reluctance, and he didn’t run his race then. He started once more before last weekend, but defeat that day was not a case of dismay, but rather a stepping stone to the great French prize.

“He was bred to win the Arc”, an emotional Princess Zahra said after the Arc. While she was the one on hand to revel in the glory, alongside her son and daughter, there was no need for anyone to point out the obvious, the feeling that her late father, Aga Khan IV, was very much present, and he left his mark.

This added hugely to the moment, and Princess Zahra is the fourth generation of her family to welcome an Arc winner, and a record eighth triumph in the prestigious contest.

Indeed, Daryz won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 16 years after his sire concluded a brilliant racing career with victory in the iconic race. Sea The Stars carried the colours of Christopher Tsui, and that colt is himself a son of another to land the great 12-furlong contest, Urban Sea (Miswaki) in 1993, She was raced by David Tsui.

Daryakana is another broodmare great

WHEN Daryz gave connections their first Prix Eugene Adam win since 2015, it was something of a family double. That year they were successful with Daryz’s half-brother Dariyan (Shamardal), and that colt went on to win the Group 1 Prix Ganay at four.

Dariyan’s form at the highest level was solid, and his overall race record consistent. He finished in the first five in 11 of his 13 starts when trained by Alain de Royer-Dupré, and was ridden on all his starts by Christophe Soumillon. Unraced at two, just like Daryz, he won his second and third starts at Saint-Cloud, and struck for the first time at stakes level in the Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam. Dariyan ended his three-year-old season finishing third behind Highland Reel in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase.

When Dariyan notched his Group 1 triumph in the Prix Ganay at Saint-Cloud, he beat Silverwave by a length and a quarter, and had that colt behind him when runner-up in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan. He went to stud at Haras de Bonneval in Normandy and stood there for seven seasons until he switched to Haras du Mont Goubert for the 2024 season. He died in June of that year. At stud he has sired a number of stakes winners, including this years’ three-year-old Group 3 winning fillies Sayidah Dariyan and Princess Child.

Daryz and Dariyan are out of Daryakana (Selkirk), and like the latter she was trained by Royer-Dupré. She won five times at three, adding the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase to a victory in the then Group 2 Prix de Royallieu – a race she won on the same weekend that Sea The Stars won the Arc. At four Daryakana was placed in a blanket finish to the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Six of her seven winners are stakes winners, and they were the mares first six runners.

Different stallions

Dariyan was the first foal for Daryakana and he was followed by blacktype performers Darabad (Dansili), a listed winner in France, Grade 2 US winner Devamani (Dubawi), French listed winner Dariyza (Dawn Approach) who is now a member of the Aga Khan Studs’ broodmare band, Group 2 German winner Darkaniya (Frankel) who is also at stud now, and Daryz. All are by different stallions. Daryakana had a filly foal this year by Erevann (Dubawi), and she is from the first crop by that Haras de Bonneval Group 2 winner.

The 11 offspring of racing age out of Daryakana comprise seven runners and seven winners, and one of the unraced few is the two-year-old colt Daryzan (Zarak). The two unraced fillies in that quartet have already bred a winner, and this is a family that is set to grow even more in stature.

Daryz is from a very deep Aga Khan family, and Daryakana is a daughter of the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks and Group 1 Prix Vermeille winner Daryaba (Night Shift). She was the best filly of her year in France, and four of her five winners earned blacktype. Her three stakes winners, in addition to Group 1 winner Daryanana, included the winner of the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris, Daramsar (Rainbow Quest).

It is rare for a family to have the first three dams responsible for a Group 1 winner, but here is one. Daryz’s third dam Darata (Vayrann) was a stakes winner and group-placed, and her dam Darazina (Labus) started quite a family tradition. Darazina was purchased from Marcel Boussac, and five of her six winners won blacktype races, while a number of her daughters have gone on to develop hugely successful lines.

We learned on Thursday that Daryz will race again at four, a most exciting prospect. My hope is that he will eventually join Sea The Stars at Gilltown.

The manner of his Arc win, over an outstanding rival in Minnie Hauk, proves that he is an exceptional runner, and with a pedigree so rich, he would be an excellent choice to join his sire. With Northern Dancer (Nearctic) back in the fifth remove on his sire’s side, and the fourth generation on the bottom half of his pedigree, Daryz would be very attractive sire prospect for breeders.

Gilltown’s Sea The Stars gets a deserved Arc winner

THIS short piece might well look like an afterthought, but if you do not know how good a sire Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) is, then you surely are a first-time reader.

Victory for Daryz took the tally of Group 1 winners sired by Sea The Stars to 24, one behind Lope De Vega who got his latest one on Saturday when Consent won the Prix du Royallieu. How fortunate we are to have two such outstanding sires in Ireland.

I am at a loss to know what to add to any comments I have made a thousand times about Sea The Stars. Only last week I wrote that “the Gilltown resident can lay claim to be close to perfection in an equine”.

Sea The Stars’ race record was almost flawless, in terms of conformation he is outstanding, and nine of his 24 top-flight winners did so more than one. Look at that list – Stradivarius (seven), Baaeed (six), Sosie (three) who was an honourable third behind Daryz, Star Catcher (three), while Hukum, Emily Upjohn, Sea Of Class who is one of three by her sire to finish runner-up in the Arc, Harzand and Taghrooda all won twice. Furthermore, his daughters are adding to his reputation, responsible for 10 Group 1 successes, and growing.