Calandagan retained the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at Saint-Cloud on Sunday, July 5, beating Cualificar by a neck under Mickael Barzalona and putting a King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes decision back on Francis Graffard’s table.
Back to defend his crown! Don't miss Calandagan and co. in Sunday's Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 2, 2026
The Aga Khan Studs homebred had been asked to respond after a below-par run in the Coronation Cup at Epsom, and he did so in the same 12-furlong race he won last year. Held up at the rear by Barzalona, the five-year-old swept from last at the 500-metre point to lead at the furlong pole, according to Thoroughbred Daily News.
Ascot Option Still In Play
Graffard said afterwards that Calandagan had been on edge before the race, but the trainer again praised the gelding’s ability to hunt down a target when ridden to suit. The next call is whether to return to Ascot for the King George, a race that now comes up quickly after this Saint-Cloud defence.
Cualificar gave Godolphin and the Fabre team a strong second, while Graffard also had Sunly in third, three-quarters of a length behind the runner-up. Aventure, Lambourn, Leffard, Eydon and Pride Of Arras completed the field, with Calandagan stopping the clock in 2:27.27.
For Graffard, the result matters because it restored momentum at Group 1 level. For the wider middle-distance division, it keeps one of Europe’s most reliable closers firmly in the summer championship picture.
