The four-year-old Sea The Stars colt Daryz won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the second year running on Sunday, and with that win he swapped places with Japan’s Forever Young (Real Steel) to become the new world number two in the TRC Global Rankings. Only the Hong Kong sprinter Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) is ranked higher, which makes Daryz the best horse in the world beyond sprint distances.
There was also a sharp rise for the Arc runner-up, Bay City Roller (New Bay), who climbed from 63rd to 30th — the biggest leap among the 50 highest-ranked horses. The three-year-old Diamond Necklace (St Mark’s Basilica), who finished third in the race, moved up a single place from 18 to 17.
Daryz’s trainer Francis-Henri Graffard moved from seventh to sixth, while jockey Mickael Barzalona is still sixth. The trainer and jockey lists are calculated over a three-year period, which is why there are only small shifts from week to week.
Daryz is still entered for the Champion Stakes (Gr.1) at Ascot on 17 October, but the most likely outcome is that the Arc win was the last start of his career, and that a golden future at stud awaits. He is likely to become one of the most expensive first-season stallions we have seen for many years.
Princess Zahra Aga Khan, who took over Aga Khan Studs after her father’s death last year, was asked after the race whether Daryz might come back and win a third Arc. “No, I doubt it very much. He has other duties to perform. Each time you run him there is a risk”, she replied. Daryz’s trainer would gladly have carried on: “I wish I could be allowed to win the race with him for a third time, but I don’t think I will be allowed to”, Francis-Henri Graffard said the same day.
With the win his sire Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) is suddenly in the fight for the European sires’ championship, now only around 270,000 euros behind the leader Night Of Thunder (Dubawi). Sea The Stars already has established sons at stud such as Sea The Moon and Zelzal.
Much will be decided on British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 17 October, where several Group 1 races are on the card.
