Graffard Confirms Arc Jockey Assignments For His Trio

[Wandering Eyes]

Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard fields a trio of runners in Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, with Aga Khan homebred Daryz (Sea The Stars) to be ridden by Mickael Barzalona.

The three-year-old colt has been stepped up gradually this season, with a win in the Listed Prix Ridgway in June followed by a success in the G2 Prix Eugene Adam at Saint-Cloud later that month. Unplaced in the G1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York in August, the son of Daryakana (Selkirk) bounced back to be second in the G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange in very soft ground in September. He was just beaten by Japan's G1 Japanese Derby hero Croix Du Nord (Kitasan Black) that day, and will face that foe again on Sunday.

“Daryz is a colt we've always held in high regard, and we believed he was the best three-year-old colt among the Aga Khan Studs' horses,” said Graffard at a Tuesday press conference. “But he's still mentally tender and physically very imposing, which is why we chose not to run him in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club or the Cygames Grand Prix de Paris. He will be ridden by Mickaël Barzalona, the retained jockey for the Aga Khan silks.

“That performance [in the Prince d'Orange] earned him the right to line up in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a legitimate chance.”

White Birch Farm's Gezora (Almanzor) will have multiple G1 St Leger Stakes-winning jockey Tom Marquand in the saddle. Successful in the G3 Prix des Reservoirs last October for Nicolas le Roch, she joined the Graffard yard and was promptly third in the G3 Prix Vanteaux in April. A winner of the G2 Prix Saint-Alary, the filly claimed the G1 Prix de Diane in June. Given some time away, Gezora returned with a second in the G1 Prix Vermeille to Arc favourite Aventure (Sea The Stars) on September 7.

“She will be ridden by English jockey Tom Marquand, who'll be aboard for the first time, but she's easy to handle, so I'm not

concerned,” Graffard continued. “She had a three-month break, and we targeted a comeback in the Qatar Prix Vermeille. She wasn't quite 100% fit yet, but still ran very well, finishing second to Aventure, who is now the current favourite for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.”

Rounding out the Graffard trio is Haras de la Perelle homebred Quisisana (Le Havre), who will have Alexis Pouchin at the controls. She is a winner of her last four starts including the G1 Prix Jean Romanet in August.

“Quisisana is a magnificent mare, a real force of nature. She will be ridden by Alexis Pouchin, who has partnered her before I've always thought very highly of her, and her owner, Mr. Winter, agreed to keep her in training at five. She repaid that faith by winning the Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet comfortably–one of the races in the Arc Races program–which earned her a wildcard entry into the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.”

Murphy Picks Up Byzantine Dream Ride In Arc

In other booking news, Oisin Murphy will ride Japan's Byzantine Dream in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Japan has yet to win the Paris showpiece and the Kazumi Yoshida runner is well-regarded in the betting market.

The son of Epiphaneia won the G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap in February, before running second in the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) back in his native land. He eked out a half-length victory in the G2 Prix Foy over fellow Arc hopeful Sosie (Sea The Stars)–fourth in the iconic race in 2024–on September 7. Murphy was aboard Byzantine Dream in Riyadh and in the Foy.

Murphy said of the Tomoyasu Sakaguchi-trained runner, “I was very happy with Byzantine Dream in the Prix Foy, he travelled round well and showed a nice turn of foot. It was a decent trial, where I didn't have to get serious with him, and I thought Sosie was a decent benchmark. Nice ground will be important for him and I'll be hoping for a dry week in France.”

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