Calandagan Can Do It Again

After winning first GI, Graffard's 4YO eyes King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes

- Michael Lee

French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard is aiming to double the score in the £1.5 million (S$2.58 million) Group 1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2,400m) at Ascot on July 26.

The desire to cross the English Channel and plunder one of UK's better-known riches is the same, but not quite the stress levels.

Last year, the Chantilly handler had walked into the Ascot paddock, happy to fly under the radar with his charge Goliath, but quietly confident the 25-1 roughie could - unlike his namesake - turn giant-killer.

However, Graffard was not so sure when he stood in the parade ring and glanced up at the market.

"I was on my own, and Lisa my wife didn't come. I think I was 30-1 and I was like 'oh my god, I will probably look like a fool," he said.

However, the German-bred fooled pundits by upstaging a star-studded field that included the eventual Arc winner Bluestocking, 2023 Epsom Derby winner Auguste Rodin and Godolphin star Rebel's Romance, among others.

"When he entered the straight, he was cruising, that was a really good thrill," said Graffard. "The way he won was fantastic and I want to go back there and win that race again."