Despite the absence of a representative from the three-year-old ranks, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes attracted a select field of top-level winners and Calandagan, who scored by a length, can be rated right up with the ten-year standard for the contest with a Racing Post Rating of 127+.
The form pick on his second to City Of Troy in last year’s Juddmonte International, his breakthrough Group 1 win in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud sailed close to that level, and given the way he ran down runner-up Kalpana on Saturday in a fast finish there could well be more to come now he’s in a winning groove.
With Continuous not adopting expected pacemaking duties, the King George proved tactical as Jan Brueghel, who was half a length superior to Calandagan in the Coronation Cup, set a steady enough pace through halfway in first-time cheekpieces. It was clear from some way out that Jan Brueghel wasn’t in the same form as at Epsom, with even Continuous travelling better on his shoulder turning in.
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