Latest news with #KingGeorgeVIAndQueenElizabethStakes
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Calandagan wins the King George at Ascot while Godolphin snares German Group One honours
Calandagan justified favourtism in devastating fashion to give Francis-Henri Graffard back-to-back wins in the Group One King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2,400m) at Ascot on Saturday. The Gleneagles gelding was beaten by Jan Brueghel in the Group One Coronation Cup (2,400m) at Epsom in June but reversed the form in no uncertain terms after what looked to be a tactical mishap from Ballydoyle. From an outsiders view, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Continuous looked to be a pacemaker for his stamina-laden stablemate, but he only sat on his stablemates's shoulder and after setting a modest pace, Jan Brueghel checked out at the 400m point as Kalpana quickened clear. THE FRENCH RAIDER HAS DONE IT! 🇫🇷 CALANDAGAN WINS THE KING GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES! — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 26, 2025 The move was quickly covered by Mickael Barzalona on Calandagan, however, and the $1.7 favourite assumed command in the final furlong to defeat Kalpana by a length. The doubters who surfaced after his Epsom defeat were quickly silenced, though there was plenty of anxious moments for Graffard. 'Aidan and his team put a lot of work into the tactics and it's always interesting, but Calandagan is an easy ride and I'm glad he had time to come and catch the filly,' Graffard told the Racing Post. 'Mickael said the last 200 metres are long here and he knew he was going to catch her, but when she kicked for home she was impressive and I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm going to finish second by a neck again'.' What a finish to the feature in Greyville! 🤯🇿🇦 GLADATORIAN gets up on the line to defeat The Real Prince in the G1 HKJC Champions Cup. #WorldPool | @HKJC_Racing — World Pool (@WorldPool) July 27, 2025 Rebel's Romance, a Group One winner in Hong Kong last year, was denied a clear run at the top of the straight but stuck on well to finish third. On Sunday, Greyville's Group One Champions Cup (1,800m) went the way of the Stuart Ferrie-trained Gladatorian, who came late to deny The Real Prince by half a length. Hong Kong-based Keagan De Melo finished third aboard See It Again, who came there travelling best of all but ultimately did not quite see out the trip. On the same day in Germany, the Group One Grosser Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen (2,000m) was won by Saeed bin Suroor's Tornado Alert, defeating Graffard's Map Of Stars by a comfortable two-and-a-half lengths.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Queen presents winner's trophy at Ascot after King George race
The Queen presented the trophy to the winner of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. Camilla was at the Berkshire racecourse on Saturday afternoon for one of the highlights of the British flat racing calendar. Dressed in white, she was seen laughing with racing manager John Warren and Sir Francis Brooke, the King's representative at Ascot. French-trained Calandagan, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, won the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, beating Kalpana. The Queen presented the trophy after the race. Camilla's visit to Ascot comes just weeks after she joined the King at Royal Ascot, where the couple were seen watching the action from the royal box. During the five-day meeting, the King shared a warm exchange with Sarah, Duchess of York, in the parade ring, while his horse Purple Rainbow was beaten in the Sandringham Stakes. The late Queen Elizabeth II was a passionate owner and breeder of thoroughbreds and had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign. Charles and Camilla have taken on her stable of horses and enjoyed their first Royal Ascot winner in 2023 when their horse Desert Hero triumphed in the King George V Stakes.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Calandagan's trainer reacts to King George win at Ascot - 'I never had any doubts'
Francis Graffard said he has always believed in his horse's will to win, as the 11-10 favourite put a run of seconds behind him in British races when landing the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes Calandagan ran straight and true in the heat of battle to give trainer Francis Graffard back-to-back triumphs in Ascot's King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes. A defeat by Jan Brueghel in the Coronation Cup at Epsom caused some onlookers to question the four-year-old's stomach for the fight. The loss had been Calandagan's fourth in a row at the highest level, a sequence that had ended with a maiden Group 1 success in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud four weeks ago. When sent in pursuit of Kalpana, who had burst two lengths clear of her four opponents entering the final two furlongs of the mile-and-a-half Group 1 prize, well-backed 11-10 favourite Calandagan didn't flinch. 'I never had any doubts about his will to win,' smiled Chantilly-based Graffard after watching Mickaël Barzalona, carrying the colours of the gelding's owner-breeder, the late Aga Khan, to the front 100 yards from the winning post for a one-length margin, with Rebel's Romance repeating his third place of 12 months earlier. 'At Epsom, after the race I couldn't say it was because he doesn't want to try - and the jockey never reported that to me, either.' The 75th King George unfolded to the consternation of those who believed Aidan O'Brien's Continuous was in the line-up to make the pace for stablemate Jan Brueghel. Wayne Lordan was content to ride shotgun aboard Continuous as Ryan Moore cut out a funeral cortège gallop on last year's St Leger winner, who found a change of gear beyond him when Oisín Murphy committed Kalpana for home and completed in fourth. Barzalona, who had anchored Calandagan at the back before switching wide in the straight, admitted: 'I expected the race to go quicker. 'I was waiting to see what happened and when I saw Oisín making the move, I followed. 'These are the races you want to win. I was very young when I won the Derby [on Pour Moi in 2011] and this one is very special.' Graffard is now likely to send Calandagan to York on August 20, when he will bid to better last year's second to O'Brien's City Of Troy. 'The way he can quicken is very impressive,' he reasoned. 'He has proven in every single race that he is a very good horse.' His status as a gelding bars Calandagan from running in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 5, for which Kalpana is now the 8-1 market leader. 'I think that is a career-best effort and we will be working back from Paris in October,' said her trainer Andrew Balding.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Calandagan rules supreme for France in King George as Jan Brueghel fails to fire
French raider Calandagan powered to a brilliant victory in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. Francis-Henri Graffard's gelding was bidding to keep the trophy in the Chantilly yard after Goliath prevailed 12 months ago, with his key rival seemingly Aidan O'Brien's Coronation Cup winner Jan Brueghel, who had edged the Aga Khan Studs-owned four-year-old at Epsom. Calandagan was the well-backed 11-10 favourite to turn the tables and after an incredibly patient ride from Mickael Barzalona he swept through to pick off all of his rivals and pass the gallant Kalpana ahead of the line for a one-length triumph. More to follow
