Daryz overhauled favorite Minnie Hauk just strides from the finish to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) Oct. 5 in the colors of the late owner-breeder, the Aga Khan.
Trained by Francis Graffard and ridden by Mickael Barzalona, who were both winning the race for the first time, Daryz forced his head in front just in time after Minnie Hauk had initially stretched clear in the final furlong and a half.
The poignant success comes just eight months after the Aga Khan, one of racing's great owner-breeders, died in February at 88. His famed breeding empire has since been chaperoned by his daughter, Princess Zahra Aga Khan.
Summing up his feelings, Graffard said: "In the past this was just a dream, and now it's happening to me."
Much of the build-up to the race had focused on the Japanese assault on the race, but luck seemed to elude the nation's horses in the final week before the race with heavy rain turning the ground unfavorably soft and wide draws hindering two of its three challengers.
The impact of the draw was again at play in this year's Arc, with the winner breaking from stall 2, Minnie Hauk from stall 1 and Sosie, who was third, coming from stall 3. In addition, while a rainbow curved over ParisLongchamp as the Arc was run, it was only because more rain was falling on the runners in the Bois de Boulogne.
Byzantine Dream attracted strong market support before the race started and went off second favorite under jockey Oisin Murphy. He loomed up menacingly on the inside with 2 furlongs to run but his effort petered out before the final furlong.
Instead, it was Minnie Hauk and Daryz, challenging right down the center of the track in pursuit of the favorite, who fought out the finish, with the Aga Khan's green and red silks in front as the runners crossed the line.
It was the fifth time the late Aga Khan's colors have been carried to victory in the race since 1982, with Daryz following Akiyda, Sinndar, Dalakhani, and Zarkava.
Graffard put the victory in part down to Daryz's run in the Juddmonte International (G1) at York in August, when the 3-year-old finished sixth, and Barzalona executing a perfect ride on the winner.
He said: "This race has an amazing reputation, and it shows as when you win it, it's very, very special. I've had some big wins, but this one is very special, especially this year.
"He 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.
"When you have a plan in your head and you can see that the plan is working, you leave the race very well—it's a great experience. It was exactly what we planned to do.
"It's a big win. I'm very lucky that Princess Zahra and her family give me the confidence to train this amazing horse, and to win the Arc with these colors is just crazy."
Barzalona, who won the Derby (G1) for Coolmore on Pour Moi and the Dubai World Cup (G1) for Godolphin, added another major success to his haul in the silks of the Aga Khan Studs, an operation he was appointed retained rider for at the Arc meeting last year.
He said: "It's always this kind of race that you expect and you hope to win, it's the sort of race you have been watching since you were very young. To get into that circle of people who have won this race, in these colors as well, is a big privilege. We work all year to be competitive in these kinds of races."
With his win, Daryz earned a fees-paid, automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Del Mar, as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.
Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners had enjoyed the perfect start to Arc day with two group 1 winners, but had to settle for second with Minnie Hauk.
Michael Tabor, co-owner of Minnie Hauk, said: "Seconditis is a terrible disease, that's all I can say! It's just one of those things; we're very proud of Minnie Hauk, she just got caught. She's run a blinder. I thought she'd won and I'm sure she's got a great future, and I look forward to her running many more times."
O'Brien added: "She ran a great race. What can I say? She ran really well and we're delighted, really."
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