Calandagan proves he's the leader of the division in King George VI and Queen Elizabeth

Calandagan staked his claim as the best older middle-distance horse in Europe and avenged his defeat to Jan Brueghel earlier this year winning the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday at Ascot Racecourse.

Under an exceedingly patient ride from Mickael Barzalona, Calandagan went from last of five at the head of the Ascot homestretch to first by one length in the King George, Europe’s most important summer race over 1 1/2 miles.

The 4-year-old filly Kalpana turned in a strong performance in her own right, finishing second by 2 1/2 lengths over Rebel’s Romance while unable to hold Calandagan at bay through the final furlong. Jan Brueghel, who beat Calandagan by a half length in the Coronation Cup at Epsom on June 6, took a step back in the King George, a neck behind Rebel’s Romance, who had a bad trip, and in front only of his stablemate, Continuous, a distant last.

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Continuous set the pace for Jan Brueghel in the Coronation Cup, where Calandagan appeared to have Jan Brueghel measured at the furlong grounds before being turned away, and with no form suggesting he’d be a factor at the end of the King George, Continuous figured to act at a pacemaker again.

But that’s not how things worked out. As Wayne Lordan took a hold of Continuous it was Jan Brueghel and Ryan Moore who came through on the inside to take up the running, and whether unexpected or intentional, those tactics did not work out. Calandagan has a quicker, stronger finish than Jan Brueghel, whose strength lies in stamina and the ability to gallop strongly over distances at least as far as 1 3/4 miles. Moore played his hand accordingly, increasing the tempo, slow during the early stages, about halfway through while steadily urging his mount forward.

Barzalona did not care. He sat chilly on Calandagan, content to merely keep up with the fourth-place runner, biding his time until a quarter mile remained, whereupon he spun Calandagan wide and asked for the gelding’s best. Kalpana met little resistance clipping past Jan Brueghel, while down on the fence, William Buick on Rebel’s Romance found himself hopelessly trapped inside Continuous and behind the struggling Jan Brueghel. A furlong remaining, Calandagan began seriously cutting into Kalpana’s lead, collaring her and going on to a decisive victory while giving the filly eight pounds.

Winning time for the 12 furlongs over good ground was 2:29.74, about par for the King George. Heavily favored Calandagan returned $3.40 to his American backers.

Francis-Henri Graffard, whose stable overflows with talent this year, trains Calandagan for his breeder, the Aga Khan Studs, and Graffard won his second King George following Goliath’s triumph a year ago. Calandagan is by Gleneagles out of Calayana, by Sinndar, and he won for the sixth time in a dozen outings. Calandagan won half his six starts last season, finishing second in two Group 1s – the first such races of his career – closing his campaign, then starting this season with Group 1 runner-up finishes in the Sheema Classic in Dubai and in the Coronation Cup. Calandagan finally broke through at the top level June 29 in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud before adding a more resonant victory to his resume Saturday.

The Grade 1s, however, do little direct good for a 4-year-old who was gelded after his career debut in August 2023. Moreover, while Kalpana’s connections figure to target the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on the first Sunday in October, geldings can’t start in the Arc. The Breeders’ Cup, of course, would throw out the red carpet for Calandagan this fall at Del Mar, and since the King George is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, Calandagan earned automatic fees-paid entry into the BC Turf and travel expenses covering the trip from France to California.

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