Latest news with #Francis-Henri Graffard
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Calandagan Scores As Favorite In King George VI & Queen Elizabeth At Ascot
Calandagan Scores As Favorite In King George VI & Queen Elizabeth At Ascot originally appeared on Paulick Report. Favored at 11-10, Calandagan powered home on Saturday to win the £1.5-million King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Ascot Racecourse, earning a guaranteed start in the $5-million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) via the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In. Owned by the Aga Khan Studs SCEA, the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained gelding silenced doubters when he dug deep to beat Juddmonte's filly Kalpana by a length under Mickael Barzalona, giving his French trainer back-to-back wins in the 1 1/2-mile race. The son of Gleneagles previously finished second in four consecutive Group 1 events – including crossing the line half a length behind Jan Brueghel in the Coronation Cup (G1) at Epsom – which raised questions about his resolution in a finish. However, he broke his top-level duck in the June 29 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1) last time out and doubled up with a first domestic success at the top level. His win also marked a fourth success for the Aga Khan's green and red colors in the historic race on its 75th running. French-based Graffard, who won the race with Goliath last year, became the first trainer to achieve back-to-back wins in the race since John Gosden's Enable won in 2019 and 2020. He joins only four other trainers – Gosden, Sir Michael Stoute, Saeed Bin Suroor and Aidan O'Brien – to achieve this feat. 'I'm so pleased for this horse,' said Graffard. 'It's a fantastic race. I was not expecting the tactics during the race. When I saw Continuous going very it was all different. When they turned to home my horse was still travelling well. He lengthened so well. He's a very good horse. 'I was very impatient when I saw Kalpana going away so well. I wanted to see my horse lengthening and getting into a rhythm, but when I saw him really coming, I started to shout and help him up to the line. He's won two Group 1s in a row now. M.B. (Barzalona) knows him very well and the ride he gave him gave me a lot of confidence.' On the fact Calandagan has been gelded, he said: 'As a 2-year-old he was very difficult in the morning. We taught him to load with starters at Deauville for four days but we struggled to load him when it came to the race. He showed a lot of character during the race and he was beaten. We had no choice to geld him – I'd rather have a very good gelding than a bad colt.' Calandagan was aided by the failed tactics of the Ballydoyle duo. Second choice Jan Brueghel – owned by Westerberg, Mrs. J Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor – did not follow the supposed pacemaker Continuous as expected, but instead made the running. Continuous ran on the son of Galileo's outside and never settled, while Jan Brueghel ran out of puff on the final straight. Those two finished last and second last. Andrew Balding's 5-1 shot Kalpana ran a stormer of a race to finish second, a result which saw her into ante-post favoritisms for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1). After the race, several pundits questioned whether her jockey, Oisin Murphy, had gone too soon, while others thought she ran a blinder and the best horse won on the day. She has now been placed in three Group 1s this season. Godolphin's Rebel's Romance was somewhat unlucky to get boxed in by both the Ballydoyle horses leaving his jockey, William Buick, with few options. The two-time winner of the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf ran on well to finish third, replicating his 2024 effort in the race. The winning time was 2.29.79 on a course rated good. The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 93 stakes races in 15 countries whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California. As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes to start in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 20 in order to receive the rewards. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
I've got a huge 18-1 tip on King George day at Ascot… where we could soon be talking about a new master trainer
ONCE in France it was all about the master trainer Fabre. Now there's Graffard. On Saturday at Ascot Graffard has the chance to do something that Fabre hasn't yet done and land a second Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. 1 This is big. Francis-Henri Graffard, one of the most likeable handlers you could meet, saddles a horse in CALANDAGAN who might just have been much maligned in the mile-and-a-half summer showpiece. For much of his career Calandagan has been ridden as if he's a nutter. Held up miles off the pace. Given loads to do. Because he's been gelded, it's been easy to assume that he's got issues. However, on occasions, Calandagan has managed to win and looked a beast. It was at Royal Ascot last year that the strapping son of Gleneagles came from last - on the home bend - to first to grab the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes. It was quite extraordinary, although not the strongest renewal with the benefit of hindsight. He went on to chase home Anmaat in the Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes, also at Ascot and again given plenty of ground to make up. This season he was second (well held) in Meydan to Danon Decile and chased home Jan Brueghel when seemingly outbattled in the Coronation Cup at Epsom. Three runner-up spots got some wondering about Calandagan's attitude. But what's important is what happened on June 29 at Saint-Cloud. That day regular partner Mickael Barzalona rode Calandagan like a normal horse, settling in fourth but not that far off the gallop. Ultimately he would go on and hack up in that Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, suggesting he might not be quite the fruitcake some of us might have thought. Fabre has only won the King George once, and that was with the great Hurricane Run in 2006. Graffard, of course, took the big race with Goliath last year. If Calandagan scores he will become the first trainer to land consecutive renewals of the King George with a different horse since Sir Michael Stoute did so via Conduit and Harbinger in 2009/10. This is no one-horse race. But Calandagan only has three rivals and a pacemaker to beat. Taking on the Aga Khan's four-year-old are Jan Brueghel, Rebel's Romance and Kalpana. Aidan O'Brien's Jan Brueghel saw off Calandagan in the Coronation Cup, but as I've said under different tactics here I expect a change in result. That said, Jan Brueghel is crucial and has every chance. Also, he brings with him Continuous, who will set the gallop despite once being a Classic winner in the St Leger. Rebel's Romance is an absolute warrior for Godolphin. He's won nearly £11million in prize money and two Breeders' Cup Turf races along the way. However, he was only third last year and I suspect he will find one or two too good again. He would also like firm ground. Kalpana gets 3lb from her rivals, and she's pretty good for Andrew Balding, landing last season's Group 1 Qipco British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes at this course. However, she hasn't been good enough this term to defeat Whirl and Los Angeles and she will need more here to score. For many today the big betting race is the International Handicap over 7f. I'll chance OLIVER SHOW for the Billy Loughnane and George Boughey team. A mark of 98 is harsh enough for my hope, but he ran really well in the Lincoln at Doncaster off 95 before never getting involved after a slow start in the Buckingham Palace at Royal Ascot. That 7f will have been short enough in any case for a horse who has raced up to 1m2f. With a normal start and getting back to the Lincoln form he would have an each-way chance. Finally at York all eyes are on the exciting ALMAQAM in the Sky Bet Group 2 York Stakes over an extended 1m2f. I'm all over Ed Walker's stable star here under the excellent Kieran Shoemark. This colt has always been held in high regard and saw off Ombudsman when last seen in the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown. He can go from the front or come off the pace and stays strong. The going is also ideal. Everything is set for a massive run in a decent field. Only slight concern is he does give plenty of weight to the three-year-olds. But he really should win. What a Saturday. Racing fit for a King. Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
