Gleneagles’ Calandagan Follows Up In King George

Calandagan (4g Gleneagles – Calayana, by Sinndar) showed his class once again when gaining his second consecutive Group 1 win in Saturday’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

A multiple Group scorer and multiple Group 1-placed last season, Francis-Henri Graffard’s charge got within half a length of Jan Brueghel (Galileo) in the Coronation Cup before landing the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in fine style last month. Sent off favourite to follow up at Ascot, the Aga Khan homebred was help up once again by Mickael Barzalona and travelled strongly turning for home.

Asked to challenge two furlongs out, he was ridden a furlong later and kept on strongly to lead inside the final 110 yards and kept on to score by a length. Runner-up Kalpana finished two and a half lengths clear of the third.

Speaking after the race, Graffard said: “Every time we've been beaten in the past we've had excuses. He was really far back in the Juddmonte International last year. He still quickened really strong but probably too late, and at Epsom the other day I had lots of little excuses.

“We know him better now and he loves good ground and this distance. I think there is no more doubt about his will to win.”

On future plans for the Gleneagles gelding, the trainer commented: “He's in the Juddmonte International, so why not go there? I wouldn't mind coming back in trip and then maybe going to Japan at the end of the season, but I have to discuss it with the Aga Khan team and Princess Zahra.”