Arc hero Daryz is a dream come true for Francis-Henri Graffard

Francis-Henri Graffard reflected on the greatest day of his career after saddling Daryz to win a pulsating renewal of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp.

The Chantilly handler has enjoyed a rapid ascent through the training ranks in the last decade, firmly establishing himself among the French elite with equine stars like The Revenant and the last two winners of the King George at Ascot with Goliath and Calandagan.

Daryz, unraced at two, looked like his next potential star after winning his first four starts and while the wheels seemingly came off in high summer after he finished last of six in the Juddmonte International at York, a narrow defeat at the hands of Japanese Arc hopeful Croix Du Nord in a Group Three last month was enough to convince connections to shoot for glory in Europe’s premier middle-distance contest.

Running over a mile and a half for the first time, the Aga Khan Studs-owned son of the great 2009 hero Sea The Stars proved his stamina in the rain-softened ground, reeling in Aidan O’Brien’s Epsom, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks heroine and hot favourite Minnie Hauk to get up by a head under a jubilant Mickael Barzalona.

While no stranger to big-race success in recent years, Graffard was visibly moved by this landmark triumph in the post-race press conference, saying: “I’ve been very lucky already to win in big meetings and amazing races, but this race is very, very special in terms of emotions.

“As a young boy and a racing fan I was dreaming of a race like that with these colours, so it is very special in terms of emotion today to win the Arc de Triomphe for the Aga Khan family.”

Daryz’s first career defeat on the Knavesmire in August was clearly disappointing at the time, but Graffard felt it has ultimately been the making of him.

He added: “The race was very tough over there, we were risking the horse being beaten and the race was run very bizarrely that day.

“The horse didn’t run a good race, but in the end he got a lot of experience from the travel and the crowd and the way the race was run. I think the defeat at York helped us to win today.”

When asked what the future holds for his charge, Graffard said: “We are not going to answer that question for the time being because we want to savour this moment and take a decision when we’re not this emotional.

“The season is going unbelievably. I love winning races and I love to compete so we take a lot of risks and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

“Today we won the Arc de Triomphe with a horse that went a very different way, but as you say in England, when the stable is in good form we can run the cat!”

The late Aga Khan IV saw his famous green and red silks carried to Arc success on four occasions, with his breakthrough victory with Akiyda in 1982 followed by the subsequent successes of Sinndar (2000), Dalakhani (2003) and the brilliant mare Zarkava.

He died in February of this year, but his Aga Khan Studs operation remains a major player, led by his daughter Princess Zahra, who said: “It’s the pinnacle of what a breeder is looking for, to win at this level. For everyone involved in the breeding operation, for the horse’s family and his descendants we hope.

“It’s a step change. My dad was always so over the moon to win an Arc and I didn’t know what it felt like, but now I know what he felt like.”

Barzalona added: “These famous colours have such a deep history in the Arc and I’m delighted a dream came true for me today.

“I had a really good race, my horse quickly found his rhythm, which is very important in a race like this.

“I had absolutely no issues, I could see that Minnie Hauk was in front of me. I saw that Minnie Hauk showed some brutal acceleration, but my horse immediately reacted and got in behind her and I knew that he had a lot to give, so I was hoping that I was going to get to the post first.”