Daryz Retired After Historic Arc Double

Dual Gr1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Daryz has been retired to stud, bringing down the curtain on a brilliant career only five days after the four-year-old became the first male horse in 48 years to win Europe's greatest race in consecutive seasons. According to racingpost.com, Aga Khan Studs confirmed that the son of Sea The Stars will stand for his owner-breeders in 2027, although a decision is still to be made on whether he will be based at Haras de Bonneval in France or Gilltown Stud in Ireland alongside his sire. Daryz retires as the winner of four Gr1 races and more than £5.4 million in prize-money, with his second Arc victory earning him a rating of 128 and third position in the latest Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings. His final season proved particularly significant because connections resisted the conventional path of retiring a three-year-old Arc winner immediately, instead keeping him in training at four, where he justified that decision with victories in the Gr1 Prix Ganay and Gr1 Prix d'Ispahan before returning to Longchamp to retain his Arc crown. That sequence replicated a Gr1 trilogy last achieved by Sagace in 1985 and placed Daryz alongside an extraordinarily small group of horses capable of returning to win the Arc again, with only Treve and Enable having achieved the feat this century before him. His campaign was not without interruption, with an infection discovered after he finished third behind Ombudsman at Royal Ascot, but trainer Francis Graffard successfully rebuilt his preparation around an Arc defence, using victory over Bay City Roller in the Prix Foy as the final stepping stone before Daryz defeated the same rival by 1.25l in the main event. His pedigree ensures his appeal at stud is every bit as compelling as his race record. Daryz is by six-time Gr1 winner Sea The Stars from Hong Kong Vase winner Daryakana, herself out of Prix de Diane and Prix Vermeille winner Daryaba, and becomes the sixth stakes winner and second Gr1 winner produced by his dam. Aga Khan Studs will announce his fee in due course, but there is little doubt that Daryz retires as one of the most valuable new stallion prospects in Europe.