Daryz is set to defend his title in the 2026 edition of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s most lucrative flat race, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing at 3:05 p.m. The three‑year‑old colt is chasing a rare piece of history: becoming the first male horse since Alleged in 1978 to win the Arc in consecutive years.
Francis‑Henri Graffard’s star performer has already shown he belongs at the very top level. He returned to form in the Prix Ganay with a brilliant run, and followed that up with another sparkling display in the Prix Aga Khan IV. A subsequent attempt at Royal Ascot in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes fell short – he finished third – and post‑race examinations revealed a minor blood‑flow issue that was promptly treated.
After a spell to recover, the Graffard colt was given a relatively easy assignment in the Prix Foy, where he comfortably beat the previous Coronation Cup winner Bay City Roller – a horse he will meet again today. Graffard has repeatedly stressed that Daryz was only about 75 % fit at the time, yet he still produced a dominant performance. Drawn in stall five, the short‑priced favourite will face a strong field, but his connections remain supremely confident. Kalpana, who finished seventh in the same race last year, is back in ParisLongchamp with a point to prove.
The Juddmonte filly hopes to emulate the success of Bluestocking, a two‑year‑old who captured the same prize. Kalpana, a King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner, has added two Group 1 victories to her résumé this season. Starting from stall six, she appears well‑suited to the course, and with Colin Keane now in her saddle for a second year, she could be a serious contender.
Maltese Cross represents William Haggas’s bid for his first Arc win. The three‑year‑old, a son of Sea The Stars, has already secured his second Group 1 triumph this year after finishing runner‑up in the Derby, then taking the Grand Prix de Paris and the Great Voltigeur Stakes. However, his prospects have been slightly hampered by an unfavourable draw in stall eleven.
Aidan O'Brien will field three classic winners in the race. Ryan Moore has chosen to ride the Irish Derby victor Benvenuto Cellini, while the other two O'Brien runners – Diamond Necklace, drawn in the notoriously difficult stall sixteen, and last year’s runner‑up Minnie Hauk, partnered by William Buick – will aim to improve on their previous efforts. Never miss a story with the latest racing news, interviews and features on your mobile device.
Find out more. Aventure, a proven Group 1 performer against her own sex, leads a nine‑horse field in the Longines Prix de l'Opéra. Christophe Ferland’s mare has contested the Arc twice, finishing second and eleventh, and this year she returns to a fillies‑and‑mares race where she boasts eight wins from twelve starts, including two Group 1s.
The mare rebounded from a defeat by Daryz in the Prix Ganay by winning the Prix Corrida, where she bested Sunly. Although Calandagan outclassed her in the Grand Prix de Saint‑Cloud, she secured a major victory later in the season, taking the Prix Jean et Louis Romanet at Deauville and beating the unbeaten Diamond Necklace.
Three‑year‑old Pink Panthera appears to be the most promising of the remaining runners. She has narrowly missed out on Group 1 glory twice this season – first in the Prix de Diane and then in the Prix Vermeille.
Historically, three‑year‑olds have performed exceptionally well in the Arc, winning eight of the last ten runnings. Precise, the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes winner, has been heavily campaigned this year and will tackle the Arc for the first time, with Ryan Moore aboard. Samangan and Thesecretadversary will meet again, this time in the Group 1 Qatar Prix de la Forêt over seven furlongs.
Thesecretadversary previously bested Samangan in the Prix Jean Prat after a Jersey Stakes win at Royal Ascot. The son of St Mark’s Basilica then stretched out to the Prix Jacques le Marois, where he was beaten by Rayif, another Aga Khan‑trained colt.
In that race Samangan finished fourth behind True Love, who placed second. Samangan later captured his first Group 1 in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, holding off a fast‑finishing Division. True Love, a classic winner of the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, has not won since that triumph but has consistently placed in Group 1 company. Other notable entries include Nighttime, who hopes to rediscover form for Christopher Head, and Marvelman, representing Andrew Balding.
The meeting also features several French Group 1 contests: the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp, where Green Express leads an open field; the G1 Prix Jean‑Luc Lagardère, with National Stakes champion Folsom Blues returning; the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye, where Naana’s Shadow faces a wide‑open field of fourteen; and the G1 Arabian World Cup, featuring Rb Kingmaker and HM Alchahine. Across the Atlantic, Keeneland will host the G3 Summer Stakes at 12:31, with Rebecca Menzies sending Adonius against Queen Mary third Ruiva, followed by the G1 Spinster Stakes at 10:45, where Fully Subscribed will use the race as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
All eyes will be on Daryz as he attempts to rewrite history and secure a second consecutive Arc triumph, a feat that has eluded colts for nearly half a century. The combination of a strong draw, proven form, and a trainer who knows how to peak a horse for the biggest day of the year makes him the clear favourite, but the depth of the field ensures a thrilling contest for racing fans worldwide.