Calandagan crowned British Champion on day of stuners

BERKSHIRE - Calandagan continued his love affair with Ascot when putting up a sublime performance to defeat Ombudsman in the £1,417,500 (S$2.46 million) Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes (2,000m) for Francis-Henri Graffard on Oct 18.

Just a fortnight after Daryz carried the same famous silks of the late Aga Khan to victory in the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2,400m), Calandagan returned to Ascot looking to complete a Group 1 hat-trick following victories in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (2,400m) and King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2,400m).

Held up throughout under Mickael Barzalona, the gelded four-year-old son of Gleneagles peeled out wide as the pace began to lift turning for home.

Ombudsman and William Buick soon emerged on his outside as the pair made gigantic inroads into the lead of the pacesetting Devil's Advocate (Rab Havlin), but with two furlongs to go, Calandagan held a clear advantage.

John and Thady Gosden's Juddmonte International winner set off in an attempt to run down the new leader, but Calandagan continued to find under pressure and with proven stamina over further, he galloped on relentlessly to land the spoils by an impressive two and a quarter lengths.

Ombudsman had to settle for second, with Ed Walker's Almaqam (Kieran Shoemark) emerging with plenty of credit back in third.

"He's a fantastic horse and we're lucky this year that we have very nice horses to be able to compete at the top level," said Graffard.

"So it gives me the opportunity to give breaks to Calandagan. He hasn't run since July, and we haven't been greedy because we also have very good horses."

On potential plans, the Chantilly trainer has not committed to any path as yet.

"I don't know where we're going to go next, I was thinking the Japan Cup but that's a tough race to win, so we'll talk to the Princess and see what she wants to do," he said.

If Calandagan ($17) upstaging the popular Ombudsman was not that much of a surprise, $11 favourite Kalpana (Colin Keane) going back-to-back for John & Thady Gosden in the first of the four Group 1s on British Champions Day, the £531,250 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (2,400m) went even more to script.

But the two remaining events dropped bombshells which have left ripple effects still being felt around the whole of the United Kingdom betting markets and elsewhere.

The unheralded Powerful Glory (Jamie Spencer) came with a powerful late run to deny Lazzat at odds of 200-1 ($628 on the Singapore Pools tote) in the £562,500 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes (1,200m).

The Richard Fahey-trained colt, who was making only his fifth lifetime start, became the eighth winner on the flat in Britain at such an outlandish price and the longest-priced winner of a European Group 1, displacing this season's Sussex Stakes hero Qirat, who scored at 150-1.

Punters were still licking their wounds, healed a little by those who backed Kalpana in the next race, but that were thereafter rubbed more salt into when Cicero's Gift (Jason Watson) ran out a 100-1 winner ($453 on the Singapore Pools tote) for Charlie Hills in the £1,156,250 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1,600m).

RACING AND SPORTS