Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Group 1)

IT was a damned good horse race. And, contrary to many expectations, a pretty high quality one too as a pair of top-class three-year-olds, Daryz for France and Minnie Hauk for Ireland, fought out the finish to the 2025 Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp last Sunday.

Minnie Hauk looked to have the race at her mercy when kicking for home with a quarter of a mile to run. But, while the other 14 runners floundered, Daryz kept in contact with Aidan O’Brien’s dual classic heroine and, after a brilliant final furlong battle, gained the ascendancy in the last few strides to score by a head.

Yes, the draw played a significant role, with the two lead actors coming out of stalls two and one and the third and fourth exiting from gates five and three.

Yet the five and a half length gap between Minnie Hauk and Sosie, who was best of the rest in third, strongly suggested that the top two would have filled those positions even if they had been drawn wide.

The fact that a confirmed fast ground horse like Giavellotto was able to finish just a head behind Sosie in fourth suggested that the officially ‘very soft’ underfoot conditions were far from extreme and provided a relatively level playing field for all-comers, regardless of their going preferences.

New training star

The result was both a confirmation of the old guard’s continuing strength in terms of the winning owner-breeder being the Aga Khan Studs, and a coronation of a new training star in Francis Graffard.

Six months on from the death of Prince Aga Khan IV, this was a record eighth Arc triumph for his family, 77 years on from his father kicking things off and almost two decades since their last victory, with Zarkava in 2008.

The late Aga’s daughter, Princess Zahra, was wreathed in smiles afterwards and said: “As breeders for over a century, winning this race is simply the pinnacle of what we can achieve. I hope that my father was watching on. He was always so happy when he won this race and now I know what it feels like.”

The family’s racing manager, Nemone Routh, added: “When the Prince left us we were worried about how the season would play out. He must be watching over us because it has been a long time since we enjoyed such success.”

The 48-year-old Graffard was able to revel in the traditional post-race carriage ride with his Co Tipperary-born wife, Lisa-Jane, and their two daughters, safe in the knowledge that his first French trainers’ championship was in the bag five years after the narrow Arc defeat of In Swoop had cost him the crown.

He has now surpassed the €12 million mark in earnings in France this season, which is more than double the total of his nearest challenger, the 32-times champion Andre Fabre, and doesn’t even take into account three big overseas victories.

He has landed no less than 11 Group 1 races this year and, more remarkably still, achieved that tally with 10 different horses.

Very special

Graffard seemed close to breaking down after the race, which is totally understandable. Ever the professional, he held it together to say: “I’ve experienced some big wins, but this one is very, very special, especially this year.

“To win with these colours is just crazy. As a young boy, I dreamt of winning with these colours, it is very emotional to win the Arc de Triomphe for the Aga Khan family. What was once a dream is now actually happening.

“When I came up with the plan of sending Daryz to England for the Juddmonte International, I said to Princess Zahra ‘we are not going to win, but we need to toughen him up for the autumn’. I think that defeat helped us win today because my horse was very professional and mature for the first time in his career. Then he needed to be very tough to get past Minnie Hauk.”

Jockey Mickael Barzalona, who was also landing his nation’s biggest race for the first time, added: “Daryz travelled very well. At no point did I have to switch or interrupt his rhythm, which is so important in a race like this.

“Minnie Hauk really accelerated, but when I came out of her slipstream, Daryz battled hard and I always had the feeling that we were going to get past her.”

It is hard for connections of the runner-up to be anything but crestfallen in these circumstances, but O’Brien did his best. “Minnie Hauk ran a great race and we’re delighted,” he said. “I’m not sure if she will run again, but I think that the lads are planning to keep her in training.”

Another day

Part-owner, Michael Tabor, confirmed those plans. “She’s run a blinder and I thought we’d won,” he said. “We live to fight another day and I’m looking forward to seeing her run many more times.”

Christophe Soumillon, her rider, reported: “We have no excuses, I had a clear run the whole way round. She’s a real galloper and got to the front easily. I tried to hold a little in reserve, but Mickael rode a good race from behind and caught me on the line.”

The other three Irish hopefuls finished a long way back. Hotazhell was the best of them in 10th having helped force the early pace, while White Birch was a never dangerous 12th and Los Angeles dropped out to finish last.

The quest for the holy grail of a first Japanese Arc victory will be prolonged for at least one more year. Done no favours by the draw, it was clear a matter of strides after the stalls opened that their two main candidates, Croix du Nord and Byzantine Dream, would be adopting very different tactics.

Croix Du Nord, who beat Daryz in their final prep race, was pushed up to press the leader from his outside post while Byzantine Dream was dropped out and switched onto the rail. The latter course of action proved more effective, but Byzantine Dream still finished no closer than fifth with Croix Du Nord back in 14th.