The Group I Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) was run overnight at Longchamp and one of the world’s great races produced a thriller with blueblood €1.85 millionsale-topping Frankel filly Minnie Hauk going down by a head to the Aga Khan homebred Sea the Stars colt Daryz.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Minnie Hauk has had a brilliant year racking up four successive wins including Group I victories in the Epsom, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks earning her favouritism at Longchamp.
She had the run of the race and had it won everywhere bar the post with the Francis Henri Graffard trained colt Daryz producing a career best performance to catch her right on the line.
He was tenacious for Mickael Barzalona, driving hard at the finish to claim his first G1 and taking his overall record to five wins and a second from seven starts.
“Daryz was tough. When I was planning to run at York I said to Princess Zahra that we are not going to win but we need to toughen him up for the autumn and I think the defeat at York helped us to win today because my horse for the first time was very professional and mature,” said Francis-Henri Graffard.
Daryz is an Aga Khan blueblood being a half-brother to Group I winner Dariyan, Group II winner Davamani and stakes-winners Darkaniya, Dariyza and Darabad, so he is the second G1 winner among six stakes-winners from Group I winning blue hen Daryakana.
Winner of the Group I Hong Kong Vase, Daryakana is a daughter of Champion French 3YO Filly Daryaba, so Daryz is very much a blueblood for the Aga Khan breeding operation.
He is the 24th Group I winner for Sea the Stars, who won the Arc in 2009.
