Evening meetings at ParisLongchamp on a Thursday have become a thoroughly successful destination for Parisian youth in recent years under the "Jeuxdi" banner of racing and music nights, but the programming of a pair of group 1s and a group 3 is way beyond any action that has been laid before the crowds here before.
And in the May 21 Prix Aga Khan IV (G1)—formerly the Prix d'Ispahan—there are three genuine middle-distance stars on show, all running over the about 1 3/16-mile trip, which will place a real accent on speed.
Daryz had both Sosie and Leffard behind him in last season's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) over 1 1/2 miles, and then showed he had plenty of gears when dancing clear of his rivals in the Prix Ganay (G1) over 1 5/16 miles on his reappearance last month.
Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs team have made the Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1) at the Royal Ascot meet the main target for the first half of the season, and this race fits perfectly into the schedule of a horse who thrives on racing.
Daryz handled very soft ground in the Arc on his first try at 1 1/2 miles and the unseasonal weather shouldn't be a problem to him, any more so than during his preparation in a wintery Chantilly.
"Daryz is in very good shape, all is fine with him," Graffard said. "The distance won't be a problem at all, we know he can quicken strongly. Even in a tactical race, he should be able to produce that strong acceleration of his at the end."
Sosie showed surprising versatility in terms of trip when running down Sardinian Warrior in this race 12 months ago, and has his first start of the year in Europe after finishing a fine third in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) in Hong Kong on the same day that Daryz took the Ganay at the end of April.
"Along with the twice he's run in the Arc, I thought the other day was right up there with his very best performances," said Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager to Sosie's owner/breeders Alain and Gerard Wertheimer. "Romantic Warrior is a true champion and Masquerade Ball, who finished just in front of him, is highly regarded.
"It's a better Ispahan than the one he won last year, but the horse is in great shape and it's certainly worth a try. He's run well in soft ground before and while the trip is a bit short, he managed it well in this race last season."
Leffard completes the trio of French stars bidding to prove themselves in more of a speed test than we are used to seeing any of them tackle, and has been given time to recover from an encouraging comeback run in the Prix d'Harcourt (G2) by his trainer Jean-Claude Rouget.
Qilin Queen showed her liking for ParisLongchamp when making all to defeat Sunly in the Prix de Malleret (G2) over 1 1/2 miles last July, and Kieran Shoemark will attempt to get among the more established names on her first start of the campaign.
"Her return was postponed due to a dirty scope," Ed Walker said. "The way the Dahlia Stakes panned out, that may have been a blessing in disguise. She takes on Daryz in a small field, but she had a great season last year and is training well."
