Horse racing-Dazzling Daryz thrills to win back to back Arc de Triomphes

LONDON, Oct 4 : Daryz clinched a historic victory over Bay City Roller to win his second consecutive Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday, the first colt to do so in nearly half a century. 

Always prominent Bay City Roller defied his 28/1 odds to run a valiant race having hit the front two furlongs out under jockey Oisin Murphy, after running wide in the early stages. Still, Daryz proved to have too much class.

Rounding the bend, last year's winner, who went off 7/4 favourite for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, showed an incredible turn of foot and surged up the outside to pull clear of the pack and deny the battling Bay City Roller in the final stages of the race. Fancied three-year-old filly Diamond Necklace defied a wide draw to finish a credible third. 

"What an amazing ride and what an amazing racehorse he is, he wears his heart on his sleeve and he has all the talent and all the ability to go with it," said Bay City Roller's trainer George Scott.

"We came up second best to an outstanding racehorse on good ground, and congratulations to connections. Francis is a gentleman."

Europe's richest flat race the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe attracts the world's best middle-distance horses who compete for glory, and a share of the five-million-euro ($5.63 million) prize pot, at the storied Paris track. It is the pinnacle of many trainer's careers.

Daryz's double is the first since the great mare Enable who won the race in 2017 and 2018 and stakes his claim as one of the world's greatest middle-distance racehorses.

He is the first colt in 48 years to win back-to-back renewals of the race and his success cements the Aga Khan Studs as the Arc's most successful winning owners.

Daryz is without a doubt a Longchamp specialist having won at the course three times already this year. The French superstar has amassed nearly three million pounds ($3.97 million) in prize money and his only subpar performance of the season came at Ascot when he was third to Ombudsman in the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes. 

The race rounds off a fantastic weekend for British trainer George Scott who scored a career best with a double on the first day of the meeting. Caballo De Mar denied eight-time winner Scandinavia in a thrilling finish in the long-distance Prix du Cadran after Wimbledon Hawkeye clinched the Prix Dollar.