History beckons for Europe’s best Calandagan in Japan

Calandagan bids to cap a fine year for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard and owners the Aga Khan Studs by becoming the first overseas horse for 20 years to win the Japan Cup on Sunday.

Despite 2025 starting with the death of the renowned owner-breeder the Aga Khan IV, his memory has been honoured throughout the year, with Zarigana scooping Classic honours in France and Daryz taking home Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe glory in the autumn.

However, arguably the shining light of the organisation’s whole campaign has been Calandagan, who has embarked on a phenomenal run of form since breaking his Group One duck at Saint-Cloud in the summer.

Dual Ascot triumphs in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Champion Stakes have followed and the thriving four-year-old now finds himself in Tokyo bidding to be the first French-trained winner of the Japan Cup since Le Glorieux in 1987.

“It would be unbelievable if he could lift this prize, which we all know is very difficult to win and hasn’t been achieved much by Europeans – the last was Luca Cumani’s Alkaased 20 years ago,” said Nemone Routh, manager for the Aga Khan Studs in France.

“It’s only been won once by a French horse and that was in 1987 but when he won the Champion Stakes, the last horse who had won the King George and the Champion Stakes was Brigadier Gerard and he has already achieved so much this year.

“Obviously he has won twice in the UK, but he runs there as much as he does France so we can’t call that an international race for him and a big international race is all that is possibly missing from his CV now.

“We’ve only ever run him here and Dubai, but it would just cap an absolutely sensational year and one which started as a difficult year.”

Calandagan’s journey to Japan involved two plane rides and a journey nearing 24 hours, but he has settled well into his new surroundings and is ready to pick up the final piece of his career jigsaw.

“He didn’t run between the King George and the Champion Stakes with the view we wanted to give him a run abroad at the end of the year,” added Routh.

“We could have gone to York and shipped out to the Irish Champion but we wanted to not give him too many runs.

“We’re happy with the horse and it looks like he could run a big race, but there are still obstacles to get through.

“He’s travelled very well and we’re very happy. Stable to stable it was about a 24-hour trip and he took two flights but we brought a companion horse over with him and we’re so pleased we did because otherwise being completely on his own in the quarantine facility could have been quite stressful.”

Routh added: “Francis was telling me it can be quite a palaver before the race and they have quite a long time in the paddock and then there is another place where they circle before they go in front of the stands and it could be quite stressful.

“There will be a lot of people there, a lot of noise and the worry is things could come undone before the race. I think they felt Goliath got very worked up before the race last year and then pulled hard throughout.

“He might get a bit impatient but he will have his red hood which he spends most of his life in and we only take that off when he does a serious piece of work and in his races, so he is in his bubble. I think if he remains calm, he is a very consistent horse and he can run a big race.”