By Tom Frary
Saturday's G1 Qipco Champion Stakes featured the winners of all the big 10-furlong prizes in 2025, but in the end it went to the horse who had still to win over the trip. While Calandagan (Gleneagles) was in danger of being pigeon-holed as a mile-and-a-half performer following his wins in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and King George this summer, The Aga Khan Studs homebred went through Ascot's test with ease under Mickael Barzalona.
Swooping wide approaching the final furlong, the 15-8 second favourite powered to the line to beat the 13-8 market-leader Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) by 2 1/4 lengths. There was another 1 3/4-length margin back to Almaqam (Lope De Vega), who edged out Delacroix (Dubawi) for third.
Capping a stellar season for Francis Graffard and his owner-breeders, Calandagan becomes the first horse to win the King George and Champion Stakes in the same season since the great Brigadier Gerard in 1972. “He is a fantastic horse,” his trainer said after making it a dozen Group 1s this term. “The way he was working coming into this race was incredible. He loves this track and Mickael knows him very well and when he took his stride in the straight he was just so beautiful to watch.”
Undone by soft ground and possibly unlucky in this 12 months ago, Calandagan had nevertheless shown true alacrity at the trip on a fast surface in last year's Juddmonte International where he was faster than City Of Troy throughout the last three furlongs. Campaigned solely over 12 furlongs this term, he had enjoyed this type of ground at Saint-Cloud and in this track's midsummer jewel and had been kept fresh since July.
While this renewal wasn't gung-ho from the outset, by the time they had covered the first four furlongs the heat was turning up. As a result, Ombudsman was dragged into hard action much earlier than he had in the Prince of Wales's in June with his first mile covered in a time a second faster than at the Royal meeting. While he was paying for that in the final furlong, Calandagan was just happy piling on the misery for his rivals, stretching to the line in characteristically enthusiastic manner.
“I kept him fresh and I've not been very greedy with him in running him too much and the horse has given it back to us,” Graffard added. “He is a real star. Last year was very frustrating, as we were on the inner course and we had draw one and it was very tactical. We tried to take him out of his rhythm early on and everything went against us and I was very upset with myself last year. We know him well now.”
“He is maturing and strengthening. Before, it was hard to put him in the stalls and now it is not a problem so everything is going the right way,” he concluded. “I was very stressed before the race, as I was expecting more tactics and it was difficult to read the racing from the beginning of the afternoon, but it has worked out well and it is easier when you have a champion.”
Connections of Ombudsman had no hard-luck story. “Ombudsman has had some season and ran a super race,” William Buick said. “The pace was solid throughout and it was always going to be between myself and Calandagan. I took the race to him and, in the last furlong, he just pulled away–his stamina probably kicked in, being a King George winner.”
John Gosden added of the runner-up, “He has run a wonderful race. He did get slightly shuffled back to last but take nothing away from the winner–it was a fabulous race between two very good horses. It is a great win for Princess Zahra and I'm thrilled for them. There were no hiding places, the pacemakers set a proper pace and our pacemaker was only collared with a furlong and a half to go.”
THE KING GEORGE WINNER HAS DONE IT!
CALANDAGAN WINS THE QIPCO CHAMPION STAKES! 🏆@Champions_Day @Ascot | @GraffardRacing @mickaelbarzalon pic.twitter.com/hffREMKMKe
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 18, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Calandagan is the second foal out of the Prix Minerve runner-up Calayana (Sinndar), whose family includes Danehill's speedy Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Clodovil. Also connected to the Gordon Richards Stakes winner and Arlington Million-placed Colombian (Azamour), her three-year-old filly Calamandra (New Bay) was third in last month's Listed Prix Joubert. Her two-year-old filly by Zarak is named Calasita, while she also has a yearling filly by Palace Pier.
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