He showed excellent form as a juvenile in 1990, finishing second in the Prix de la Salamandre before traveling to England to win the Group One Middle Park Stakes.
On 9 September the colt was moved up sharply in class to contest the Group One Prix de la Salamandre over 1400 metres at Longchamp Racecourse and started at odds of 3/1 in a seven-runner field headed by the undefeated Hector Protector.
Ridden by Cash Asmussen, Lycius was restrained towards the rear of the field as Distinctly North set the pace, before making rapid progress approaching the final furlong.
He finished second to the François Boutin-trained Ganges in the Prix Djebel at Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse on 12 April and was then sent to England to contest the classic 2000 Guineas over Newmarket's Rowley Mile on 4 May.
[8] Two weeks later, Lycius started favourite for the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh but was beaten into third place by the American challenger Fourstars Allstar and the locally trained Star of Gdansk.
[9] In the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp Racecourse in September Lycius turned into the straight in ninth place before making good progress and finishing third behind Priolo and Mukaddamah.
On his final appearance Lycius started odds-on favourite for the Prix de La Foret over 1400 metres at Longchamp on 2 October but never looked likely to win and finished fifth of the seven runners behind Danseuse du Soir.