Erdenali, Daryz Impress on Banner Day for Graffard

Francis Graffard secured his eighth group 1 of the year and recorded back-to-back victories in the Prix du Moulin (G1) in sensational fashion when Erdenali (FR) broke the Longchamp course record to stretch clear of a high-class field under Mickael Barzalona Sept. 6. The Aga Khan Studs' homebred 3-year-old denied Ten Bob Tony (IRE) by 1 1/4 lengths while completing 1 mile in 1:33.01, with the odds-on favorite Gstaad (GB) in third ahead of familiar rival Opera Ballo (IRE). Erdenali was sent off at 15-2 but was not winning out of turn, with his only defeat coming when an unlucky third in the Prix Messidor (G3) last time. "He was shut in the whole way up the straight last time and it was a complete non-event," said Graffard, successful last year with Sahlan (IRE). "We kept faith in the horse, stuck with the program and he's shown we weren't too far wrong. "He's quite cold in the mornings and some days he works better than others, but he's always very impressive in his races, and he's broken the track record there. Quite a few horses like him save their best for the afternoons, and it's great when it works out like that." Erdenali, who emulated his granddam Ervedya by winning this group 1 contest, was cut to a general 5-2 favorite (from around 5-1) for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) at Ascot, but is unlikely to line up there, with the stable set to be represented by Rayif (IRE). "We're planning for him to go to Keeneland for the grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes," said Graffard. "Really, what I want to do is take him to the Breeders' Cup Mile, so we'll work out the best way to get there." Reflecting on the gelding's success, Nemone Routh, racing manager to the Aga Khan Studs, said: "He should have won that group 3 very easily last time, but he had a nightmare trip—he should be unbeaten. We needed to find out if he was a group 1 horse, and he's done it quite convincingly." Ten Bob Tony arrived a little under the radar but kept on well to finish best of the British and Irish contenders, and trainer Ed Walker said: "I'm a bit gutted because I thought we had it. I could see we had Gstaad and Opera Ballo beaten, and I probably didn't give the Graffard horse enough respect. "The winner looked really good and we'll try to avoid him. Ten Bob Tony loves this track, but I'm not sure whether he'll come back for the Prix de la Foret. The plan was always to target the QEII and we'll decide whether we do that and the Breeders' Cup. We'll do what's right by him." Ten Bob Tony was making his seventh start of the season, which included victory in the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot in June. "He was quiet last year due to the ground and we had to be a bit more bold, with him being five," added Walker. "He's had an amazing season and we're proud of him." Gstaad appeared to get a little outpaced as the front two pulled clear, but he stayed on powerfully to finish 3 lengths behind the runner-up, with Godolphin's Opera Ballo a further1 3/4 lengths back in fourth. "Gstaad came home well and was coming back again at the line," said trainer Aidan O'Brien. "He looks like he'll potentially stay further, and we're pleased with him." Daryz Back to Top Form Ahead of Arc Defense Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs team also came to Longchamp keen for confirmation that last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) hero Daryz (FR) remains the one to beat in Europe's premier middle-distance race Oct. 4. They returned to Chantilly with ample proof that Daryz is back in his pomp after the blip of a sub-par run at Royal Ascot was swept away with a straightforward defeat of Bay City Roller (IRE) in the Prix Foy (G2), along with a major bonus in the Prix Niel (G2) success of Varandir (FR). Indeed, Graffard could be three-handed after choosing to take the positives out of Sunly (GB)'s luckless third place behind Friendly Soul (GB) in the Prix Vermeille (G1). Both Varandir and Sunly were cut in the odds for the Arc, but it was the reigning champion who will undoubtedly be the one to beat back here in four weeks' time, with Graffard confident his win by 1 3/4 lengths under Mickael Barzalona in the Foy will put him spot on for his attempt at joining the Longchamp immortals. "It went exactly as I'd hoped and we were lucky in that we had a leader who injected some pace into the race coming down the hill, so as a trainer I couldn't have hoped for a better prep run," said Graffard. "It was a perfect prep, he'll come on plenty for that and everything was a positive." Asked how the 2026 model compares with the Daryz who ran down Minnie Hauk (IRE) in the Arc 12 months ago, Graffard said: "He's a lot stronger and you can see he was mentally in a much better place today. He wasn't the same horse I saw at Ascot. He was sick that day and this was the best possible preparation for him." Daryz was cut to a best-priced 9-4 (from 3-1) to become the first colt since Alleged in 1978 to successfully defend his title, while Varandir was trimmed to as short as 12-1 (from 33) following his victory in race-record time in the Niel. "The Arc is the objective for Daryz and, assuming he comes out of this well, he'll certainly go," said Graffard. "Varandir produced a very nice performance and he has every right to run as well. Sunly showed she's a filly with great class too. I'll have to discuss it with her entourage (Juddmonte), but she could go as well. "She might easily have won the Vermeille today but was very unlucky, and one day she'll win a big race. "All three ran very well, but Daryz had a morning gallop; it was the ideal race, and he looks like my best horse. "But you need luck in an Arc when there are a lot of runners and it's no bad thing to have a few chances." With Varandir and Erdenali having already made it a banner day for the Aga Khan Studs, Bay City Roller's trainer George Scott joked to Daryz's connections on the way into the ring ahead of the Foy that they were "unbeatable." He also knew by that stage that the ground had tightened to a point where Bay City Roller could run well but would need something to go amiss with his chief rival in terms of winning. Neither Barzalona nor Oisin Murphy on the runner-up asked their partner for full effort inside the furlong, with Daryz having by that point established his superiority on this ground. "We ran a fair race and got beaten by a better horse on the day under these conditions," said Scott. "We'll be hoping for different conditions in four weeks' time. But at the end of the day, Daryz is a champion, and he's proved himself on soft ground as well, so we're pretty realistic about the target he sets. "Our horse is a hell of a lot better with cut in the ground and it's a nice, slick surface today." Varandir was just shaded by Daryz in the pair's final piece of fast work last week, but showed himself to be a colt who is very much on the up in the Niel, as he sprinted away under Barzalona from Alam (FR) and Pearled Majesty (GB), with fifth-placed Benvenuto Cellini (IRE) a shadow of the colt who powered to Irish Derby (G1) success and then chased home Kalpana (GB) and Calandagan (IRE) in the King George. Much water can flow under the bridge in the next four weeks, and Varandir is definitely a colt who may have more to give; you could even argue he has the Daryz profile in this year's likely line-up. The problem for him and everyone else is that Daryz is not going anywhere.