Calandagan

“Calandagan is a fantastic champion and I'm so lucky to train a horse of this calibre. This race was tactical and I was a little bit worried but when he found his stride in the straight he was just unbelievable to watch. This is his fifth Group 1 in a row and he has a big reputation so I felt a lot of pressure today. We're ready to kick on again this season - Francis Graffard, trainer. Calandagan is an incredible horse, he's got his own attitude and I know him very well now - Mickael Barzalona, jockey.”

“I knew I was bringing the best horse in the world, but was exposing Calandagan in a race that's almost impossible to win. I said to myself it wasn't really fair on the horse to ask that of him, and I really felt that pressure today. I thought to myself, 'What if we have to take him back home to his box, where there would be a plaque saying 'best horse in the world', and for his year to end in disappointment?' We were asking him to do something quite incredible after he had already proved he was the best, so I felt an enormous weight on my shoulders. I love taking on these big challenges, but this morning I was really wondering why we were putting ourselves through it - Francis Graffard, trainer.”

“Calandagan is a fantastic horse and we're lucky to have very nice horses this year who can compete at the top level, so I was able to give him a break before preparing him for this. He arrived in top form and is a real champion. Work is easy for him and I worked him with Daryz before Arc weekend because I needed to get him ready for today. He showed Daryz how it worked and to have a gallop with an Arc and Champion Stakes winner is unbelievable. We always know he will give his all. I was thinking of the Japan Cup for him next, but that's a tough race to win so we will see how he is and discuss it with the team - Francis Graffard, trainer.We went a nice gallop early on, but when Calandagan found his stride he was ready to go on the approach to the straight. I could feel Ombudsman coming to me but I was going much better than him. He's a very good horse - Mickael Barzalona, jockey, speaking to ITV Racing.”

“What happened in the race came as a surprise. I was upset I didn't put [last year's winner] Goliath in the race today because everyone was expecting a lot of pace, but I have no regrets now seeing how the race was run. Aidan [O'Brien, trainer] and his team put a lot of work into the tactics and it's always interesting, but Calandagan is an easy ride and I'm glad he had time to come and catch the filly. Mickael [Barzalona, jockey] said the last 200 metres are long here and he knew he was going to catch her, but when she kicked for home she was impressive and I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm going to finish second by a neck again' - Francis Graffard, trainer.We know Calandagan's quality and today the ground was quicker and he's one of these top-class horses. I didn't expect Jan Brueghel to set the pace but once I saw Continuous beside him and Rebel's Romance boxed in, I was happy where I was because I knew either William [Buick] was going to make a gap or Oisin [Murphy] was going to have to go round. I was just waiting to see what happened and when I saw Oisin making the move, I just followed - Mickael Barzalona, jockey.”

“Well, Calandagan is not ungenuine! The race went really well for him and I thought he was travelling much more into the rhythm of the race this time. Mickael said he still had to ask him to keep up sometimes during the race but then in the straight, when there is rhythm and he can follow the pace, he can really lengthen and quicken really strongly. I thought he was really impressive there. After Epsom my first conclusion was that he needed the run against that horse on that ground. I thought he'd come on a lot for that and he's getting experience, while his jockey knows him better now. I will obviously discuss it [the King George] with connections but it seems sensible to go to Ascot, a place where he has won before. I need to take him there at 100 per cent. I don't think ground is important to him but you could see there the way he really accelerated on that good going. He's won on very soft ground as well but I hope we get good ground and that I can get him in peak form for the end of July and go there with a real chance. In any case I'm pleased we decided to stay home with him this time. - Francis Graffard, trainer.”

“The horse had a perfect run and got the ride we were thinking of. Going down the hill he found himself behind Ryan (Moore on the winner) and he gave him plenty of time to balance. Calandagan probably took the lead for a small moment and then when they started to climb again you could see that Ryan was finding more. He's a very talented horse and I'm sure he'll win a Group One as he always runs his race. There are no excuses and I think it was a good performance. Don't forget he ran in Dubai and he hasn't run in Europe until this race. I think he was ready, but the winner is a tough O'Brien horse who keeps finding more. He's in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. - Francis-Henri Graffard, trainer.”

“Calandagan was slow out of the stalls and he takes so much time to get into his rhythm. Mickael [Brazalona] said during the race he was happy they weren't going faster because he needed to get going. I don't have any excuses. In the straight we were following the winner and he had the first kick. He came really fast at the end. It was a very good start of the season for him. The plan is to go to Epsom for the Coronation Cup with him, but we'll see how he comes back from Dubai. It's a very good run and Mickael will know him more for the future, too - Francis Graffard, trainer.”

“I thought the race was over when Calandagan took the lead and to be fair I didn't see the winner coming. He ran a great race and well done to the winning connections. He was slow away and he [Stephane Pasquier] tried to put him in the race then he travelled nicely. He had his chance to win but the winner beat us on the line - Francis Graffard, trainer, speaking to ITV.”

“It was a fantastic run, but the odds were right. The stride Calandagan showed in the straight was fantastic to watch. I shouted as we thought we were coming to get him, but he could only keep pushing a champion in City Of Troy. I'm very proud of the horse. We didn't have any Group 1 form before and there were lots of question marks, but the way he accelerated was fantastic. He can come back to Ascot in the Champion Stakes, but we'll discuss it. He gave a lot of heart on the track today - Francis Graffard, trainer.”

“Everything was easy. Calandagan can be a naughty boy sometimes, and we have to ask him gently. Today he wanted to do everything - when he's like this, he is a fantastic horse. I didn't do anything, I just asked him to do it by himself - Stephane Pasquier, jockey.”