GLOBETROTTING STAR CALANDAGAN PRIMED FOR KING GEORGE DEFENCE
- 20 networks across 120 territories showcasing the race - more than three times the broadcaster count secured in 2021
Tuesday, 21st July 2026 – Reigning champion Calandagan is reported to be at the top of his game as he completes his preparations for the 76th running of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
The Longines World’s Best Racehorse in 2025, Calandagan headlines a global cast list for the £2 million race as he bids to become the fourth horse to win back-to-back renewals of Ascot’s midsummer showpiece.
Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and owned by the Aga Khan Studs, Calandagan returned to form when winning the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud earlier this month, his sixth career Group 1 success.
Director and French racing manager for the Aga Khan Studs, Nemone Routh, said this morning after watching him exercise: “The King George has always been Calandagan’s main objective this summer. We toyed with the idea of not going to Saint-Cloud because we did not want to compromise his chances for the King George, but he came right just before that race and we felt we needed to know where we were with him after Epsom.
“Calandagan has come out of Saint-Cloud very well. Mentally, I think it was a very good race for him. His regular rider thinks he has improved from Saint-Cloud and is spot on for the King George, which he will need to be as it looks a stronger field this year. He will have to be at the top of his form, but we know he loves Ascot and always runs well there.
“Calandagan has been the ultimate racehorse for us. He is so consistent and, if he can, always gives the best of himself. He is just a top-class horse. He is incredibly special to us as an organisation and has taken us to places we never thought we would conquer, like the Japan Cup.
“He has a great mind for the game. He is an intelligent horse with a very strong personality. He is pretty laidback and runs his races the way he wants to. He does not get involved with the early pace, as he likes to lob along out the back, and then he has incredible acceleration that is sustained over the last few furlongs. Mickael [Barzalona] says, ‘once I ask him to quicken, he just never stops.’ That is his main weapon.”
Graffard is bidding to win the race for the third straight year after the success of Calandagan last year and Goliath in 2024, a feat achieved by Noel Murless between 1966-68 and Saeed bin Suroor from 1997-99. Goliath also returns to the scene of his biggest career success after a luckless third in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The French pair are among 10 confirmations for the 2026 running of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, run for a record £2 million this year. There are eight Group 1 winners among the potential field with the two French horses joined by Benvenuto Cellini, Minnie Hauk, Lambourn, Masquerade Ball, Kalpana and Bay City Roller at the confirmations stage.
Horses from Britain, Ireland, France and Japan will be among the lineup and that international representation has helped to secure record global broadcast distribution, with 20 networks across 120 territories showcasing the race - more than three times the broadcaster count secured in 2021.
Five international broadcasters will show the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes for the first time in the shape of Channel 7 from Australia, CBC in Canada, SPOTV across Southeast Asia, Tapmad in Pakistan and TVRI in Indonesia.
Dubai Media and Abu Dhabi Media also return for widespread MENA coverage, while FOX Sports will guarantee linear coverage on its US national sports network, with ESPN renewing its reach across South America and the Caribbean.
HBA Media, who manage global distribution and World Feed production for Ascot’s full racing schedule, will deliver a flagship 90-minute dedicated broadcast presented by Tom Stanley and Aly Vance which runs from 14:30 to 16:00 BST, with the feature race off at 15:35 BST.
Elsewhere on the card the Group 3 Longines Valiant Stakes is headed by Touleen, a fast finishing second in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. She looks set to take on the unbeaten Secret Of Life as well as several older horses including Kon Tiki and recent Listed winner Radiant Beauty.
The Group 3 Princess Margaret Japan Cup Stakes entries include Dark Issue for Richard Hannon who was fourth in the Albany Stakes and Moonrise for Andrew Balding, second in the Windsor Castle Stakes at the Royal Meeting.
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