Daryz in friendly confines for try at Arc repeat

England – England has been the Achilles’ heel of the star French 4-year-old Daryz.

In France, where he is based with trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, Daryz has made nine starts and won eight of them, his lone defeat a nose loss 12 1/2 months ago in the Prix du Prince d’Orange. Twice, Daryz has crossed the English Channel. He was a dreadful last of six in the 2025 Juddmonte International, and in June finished third, almost six lengths behind Ombudsman, in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Group 1, 12-furlong Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is not run in England. Three weeks after his only defeat in France, Daryz won the Arc by a desperate head over Minnie Hauk. Minnie Hauk tries a second Arc on Sunday at Longchamp but has looked a shadow of the horse she was last year. Daryz looks even better.

Graffard freshened Daryz over the summer, brought him back to action Sept. 6 at Longchamp in the Prix Foy, and Daryz – jockey Mickael Barzalona scarcely moving his hands – won easily over the high-class England-based horse Bay City Roller, an Arc runner himself.

Thus, Daryz stands as a short-priced favorite to defeat 15 rivals Sunday and become the first colt to win two Arcs since the great Alleged in 1978. He drew well in post 5, will relish the unusually firm fall footing at Longchamp, and apparently turned in a breathtaking final piece of major work for his Arc bid. It should take something special to beat him.

:: Get free past performances for Sunday's Arc card at Longchamp

The winner of the Arc will receive a fees-paid berth and expenses for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf through the Win and You’re In program.

Fast-ground loving Maltese Cross, a 3-year-old based in England with trainer William Haggas, was the narrow second choice with British bookmakers as of Friday morning. While Maltese Cross apparently does his best work on the top of the ground, and scored a course-and-distance win over the summer in the Grand Prix de Paris, he possesses enough quality to have finished second over a boggy course in the English Derby this past June.

Maltese Cross, though, has little or nothing on the 5-year-old mare Kalpana, who bested the mighty Calandagan in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in July at Ascot. Kalpana last out captured the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks, a key Arc proving ground for fillies and mares, and almost certainly failed to show her best over a very soft Longchamp course when seventh behind Daryz in last year’s Arc.

Four-time Group 1-winning Diamond Necklace was viewed as the leading 3-year-old filly hope – until she drew post 16, a very difficult spot that typically leads to ground loss or falling back to the tail of the Arc field. Ryan Moore reportedly was set to ride Diamond Necklace before the post-position draw, but Christophe Soumillon has the mount. Moore moved to her Aidan O’Brien-trained stablemate Benvenuto Cellini, who won the Irish Derby this summer but disappointed last month in the Prix Niel, his Arc prep.

Thundering On, the Oaks winner at Epsom this spring, now stands as the shortest price among the 3-year-old fillies, who get 10 pounds from older male rivals like Daryz. It may not be enough.

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