Calandagan lands King George Victory to seal success for trainer Graffard repeat

Five runners started posting on Saturday for the 75th running of the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Despite the limited cast list, it turned out to be a compelling spectacle of two and a half minutes with plot twists from start to finish. Calandagan, the 11-10 favorite, answered the last question-Had Kalpana slipping her field? – With a ruthless finish ride to the line.

The first surprise came a step or two after the start, because Aidan O’Brien’s Rank Outsider, in general, is supposed to be a pacemaker for his stable companion, Jan Brueghel, instead became in the second place of a Wingman, while Jan Brueghel and Ryan Moore were stuck.

It was an interesting trick from the Ballydoyle operation and Mickael Barzalona, on Calandagan, was not ideal at the back of the field, given the slow fractions at the front. He last came from the home, while Oisin Murphy was perfectly positioned to hit Kalpana, who was closely beaten in a 10 Furlong group last month, and he kicked her past Jan Brueghel a quarter of miles.

Kalpana quickly achieved a two -length lead, but Calandagan, who looked bad at ease on the track behind Jan Brueghel in last month’s Coronation Cup, went more smoothly through the gears this time and quickly at her advantage. Calandagan Fucking in front around a dozen steps off the line and was a length forward at the pole.

It was a second consecutive group one success for Calandagan after four second place at the highest level had seen him throw it as a horse that thought too good. It was also a second consecutive King George Victory for his trainer, Francis-Henri Graffard, after a 25-1 upset with Goliath last year.

“Everyone expected a lot of pace in the race,” said Graffard. “Aidan and his team do a lot of work on tactics, so it is always interesting, but he is an easy ride and I am happy that he had the time to catch the foal.

“He took a while to hit his pass, but Mickael said he was waiting. He really helped him to balance and I knew I would catch her. When she kicked home, she was impressive, and I thought, I would be second again.”

If a gelding is no longer allowed to run Calandagan in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but he was able to go to the international effort in York next month, in which he became second behind City of Troy last summer.

“He has proven in every race, even when he is beaten, that he is a very good horse and the way he can accelerate is very impressive,” Gaffard said. “What tactics the opponents have, we will be very effective.”

In contrast to Calandagan, Kalpana is a live candidate for the bow, where she would offer Bluestocking, last year’s winner, a four -year -old anti -foal that was second in the King George.

“She is a class act and we are enthusiastic about autumn,” said Andrew Balding, the trainer of Kalpana. “I thought that was a career-best effort and we will work back from Paris in October.”

In York there was a surprising defeat for the emerging four -year -old Almaqam, because the royal champion of Karl Burke made almost three lengths clear in the York Stakes to achieve the first group of his career at the age of seven.

Almaqam was sent as the 6-4 favorite to follow his comfortable defeat of Ombudsman, the next group one winner at Royal Ascot, in Sandown in May, but the Colt of Ed Walker could not respond when Clifford Lee Royal Champion launched in the lead after traveling well.