Charyn won a third Group 1 race of the season in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and in the process made his sire Dark Angel champion stallion of Ireland and Britain for the first time.
A top-class display from the Roger Varian-trained 13/8 favourite, early in the home stretch the grey looked as though he would saunter away with the one-mile race.
He soon had a battle on his hands when the French-trained Facteur Cheval made his challenge inside the closing furlong of the contest.
Charyn responded strongly for his rider, Silvester de Souza, and pulled away to claim a two-length victory.
The Jerome Raynier-handled 11/2 shot Facteur Cheval was runner-up in the race for a second year, while Tamfana (7/2) was next best for trainer David Menuisier, four and a quarter lengths further behind in third place.
Charyn had already claimed Group 1 victories this season in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Prix Jacque Le Marois in France.
An elated Roger Varian said:
“Charyn is a super horse and that was fantastic. Everything went very smooth, and it was a lovely race to watch. Silvestre got me a bit nervous! He just sat comfortable and you could see the second coming, and then Charyn had to get to work and he showed his battling qualities. He’s got everything, that horse.
“I promise you, he’s got the most amazing constitution. Every time I’ve run him in his life, I’ve thought he was too heavy, because he just holds his condition like no other horse. Touch wood, he’s sound, he loves his work, he loves his racing. He’s just got such a good mentality for the game, and an engine to go with it.”
Heading for stud
The winning conditioner expressed his disappointment that Charyn would now run again as a five-year-old next season, stating:
“I think it’s already been announced that he will retire at the end of this season. He will be a stallion for Nurlan Bizakov’s stud operation in France. I, of course, would love him to stay in training, but I think that’s not going to be the case. We’ll have to see how he comes out of this race, we might just contemplate one more international run.”
The successful rider, Silvester de Souza, admitted that he was in front too early in the home straight:
“I thought I was in front a bit too soon, but the ground is so wet and, when it’s wet, you can lose momentum if you try and take them back. You just have to sit quiet and I knew that, whatever challenged me in the final furlong, I had plenty left.”
