Extraordinary Season for ⁤French-Trained Calandagan

Calandagan has⁣ been named Horse of ⁤the Year at the prestigious Cartier Racing ⁤Awards‌ in london. The four-year-old colt, ⁢trained ⁤in​ France by Francis-Henri Graffard,⁣ enjoyed a⁣ stellar season, securing three Group One victories.

his triumphs included both ⁣the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes⁤ and ‌the Champion stakes ‍at Ascot as reported by the BBC. This remarkable ⁢achievement makes Calandagan ​only the second horse, after ‌Brigadier‍ Gerard in 1972, ⁢to win both of‍ these iconic races in the same⁤ year.

Further Victories and Notable Performances

Running in the colors of the⁣ Aga Khan, Calandagan also ⁢added the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud to his list of wins in his native France. Earlier⁣ in the year, he demonstrated his‍ consistency by finishing second in both the Coronation Cup and ‌the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Competition for the Top Award

Calandagan faced strong competition for the Horse of the Year title.Other nominees included ⁣Ombudsman,winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes‍ and ​Juddmonte ⁣International,who finished second to Calandagan in the Champion​ Stakes,and ⁢also​ leading three-year-olds ⁤Delacroix ‍and Minnie Hauk.

Additional Award Winners

The 35th annual Cartier Racing‌ Awards also ⁣recognized Trawlerman, trained by ⁢John ⁢and Thady Gosden, as ‍the leading​ stayer. Trawlerman secured four victories‍ this year, highlighted by his win in the Gold Cup at‍ Ascot.

Broadcaster and writer⁣ Brough Scott ‍was ‌honored with the award of merit for his contributions to the sport.