King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes sponsored by QIPCO
Group 1, Ascot 15:40
£1,500,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus,
1m 3f 211y, Class 1   
Saturday 26th July 2025

SureWIn

Calandagan, the nearly horse no longer, may get the chance to turn the tables on his Epsom nemesis Jan Brueghel, with this race firmly on the radar after a long-overdue Group One breakthrough in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

It was a performance that combined class with a touch of theatre—the kind of showing that made you wonder why it took so long for Francis-Henri Graffard’s charge to shed that bridesmaid’s tag. Runner-up in four successive Group One tussles since his King Edward VII success at Royal Ascot last year, the Aga Khan’s gelding finally delivered the sort of polished performance his team always believed was in him.

For Nemone Routh, racing manager to the Aga Khan Studs in France, there was as much relief as elation.

“To finally get his Group One—after all those close calls—was fantastic. He didn’t just win, he put the race to bed emphatically. It was a proper field too: Aventure’s always rock-solid, and while Goliath may not have been at his best, these were proper Group One horses. Calandagan’s sectionals were very smart, and the way he quickened—it’s what we knew he had in him.”

With the race barely in the rear-view mirror, all roads now lead to Ascot on July 26, where a rematch with Aidan O’Brien’s Jan Brueghel—the conqueror in the Coronation Cup and current market leader—could serve as the summer’s standout middle-distance clash.

“He seems to have come out of the race well, Francis is pleased with how he’s taken it,” Routh continued. “The King George has always been in our minds, especially with how well he’s run at Ascot before. It was a real confidence booster at Saint-Cloud, and if everything stays on track, we’ll be there. Whether we turn the tables on Jan Brueghel, we’ll have to see—but he’ll give him a race, no doubt.”

It was a rare appearance on home turf for Calandagan, whose last five starts had taken in the UK and Dubai. But this time, Parisian suburbia played host to a triumphant homecoming, complete with a warm Saint-Cloud reception from racegoers well aware of the gelding’s overseas exploits.

“It meant a lot,” said Routh. “He hadn’t raced in France in over a year, and the reception he got when he came back to the winner’s enclosure was lovely. Some had doubted him, saying he needed cheekpieces or blinkers, which was a bit frustrating—so to see him do it clean and straight was very satisfying.”

“We had to weigh up Saint-Cloud against the Eclipse. In the end, it came down to giving him a less taxing journey, and with it being a sweltering day, only having to travel an hour from home was a big help.”

Saint-Cloud may have provided the overdue coronation—but should Calandagan line up at Ascot later this month, it will be a stage set for vengeance, redemption, and perhaps the making of a new staying star.

King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes
(Sponsored By Qipco) (British Champions Series) (Group 1)
£1,250,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 1m 3f 211y, Class 1
32 entries
Going:

NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY (form as of Jul 02)
1 632-31 Almaqam 4 9-9 Ed Walker
2 10-342 Al Riffa 5 9-9 Joseph O'Brien
3 22-221 Calandagan 5 4 9-9 F-H Graffard
4 395948 Continuous 5 9-9 A P O'Brien
5 35-463 Ghostwriter 4 9-9 Clive Cox
6 16-915 Goliath 5 9-9 F-H Graffard
7 221-12 Illinois 4 9-9 A P O'Brien
8 111-21 Jan Brueghel 4 9-9 A P O'Brien
9 39-115 Los Angeles 4 9-9 A P O'Brien
10 1-1124 Map Of Stars 4 9-9 F-H Graffard
11 111-21 Ombudsman 4 9-9 John & Thady Gosden
12 1-1411 Rebel's Romance 7 9-9 Charlie Appleby
13 114-11 Sosie 4 9-9 A Fabre
14 30-354 Sunway 4 9-9 David Menuisier
15 111-32 Kalpana 4 9-6 Andrew Balding
16 11-111 Amiloc 3 8-12 Ralph Beckett
17 1-245 Azimpour 3 8-12 F-H Graffard
18 11-616 Green Impact 3 8-12 Mrs John Harrington
19 1211-3 Hotazhell 3 8-12 Mrs John Harrington
20 5-2111 Lambourn 3 8-12 A P O'Brien
21 31-223 Lazy Griff 3 8-12 Charlie Johnston
22 21-311 Merchant 3 8-12 William Haggas
23 3518 Minhad 3 8-12 Ismail Mohammed
24 1-100 Pride Of Arras 3 8-12 Ralph Beckett
25 13-113 Ruling Court 3 8-12 Charlie Appleby
26 312-15 Stanhope Gardens 3 8-12 Ralph Beckett
27 21-334 Tennessee Stud 3 8-12 Joseph O'Brien
28 31-462 Tornado Alert 3 8-12 Saeed bin Suroor
29 2-1241 Trinity College 3 8-12 A P O'Brien
30 155-62 Bedtime Story 3 8-9 A P O'Brien
31 21-11 Minnie Hauk 3 8-9 A P O'Brien
32 1-6121 Whirl 3 8-9 A P O'Brien

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