By Emma Berry
Francis-Henri Graffard may have had to contend with the disappointment of retiring his Classic-winning filly Rouhiya (Fr), but he still has much to look forward to in the coming weeks, not least another trip to Ascot with Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) for Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Owned by his breeder Baron Philip von Ullmann of Gestut Schlenderhan, the four-year-old was last seen running second to Isle Of Jura (Ire) in the G2 Hardwicke Stakes. Following his win in the G3 Prix d'Hedouville in early May, Goliath was then fourth in the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly won by Junko (GB), but just ahead of him in third that day was Dubai Honour (Ire), who subsequently returned to France to win the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. The pair looks set to meet again on Saturday, but stepping into Group 1 company for the first time also means that Goliath is likely to have to take on seasoned top-level performers such as Auguste Rodin (Ire), Rebel's Romance (Ire) and Bluestocking (GB).
“The plan is to come,” Graffard confirmed to TDN. “The horse worked [on Monday] morning and he is great form.”
Christophe Soumillon is booked to ride Goliath for the first time and they will be the only French contenders in a field which could contain five British-trained runners and up to five from Aidan O'Brien's stable. The last French-trained horse to win the King George was Hurricane Run (Ire), trained by Andre Fabre, in 2006, but there have been two German winners in the intervening years: Danedream (Ger) and Novellist (Ger).
Graffard continued, “I was very pleased with his [Hardwicke] run. He's a horse who needs a bit of pace and last time at Ascot there was no pace in the race and he pulled a little bit too hard, but the course and the distance are no problem. Hopefully the ground isn't too fast, but on his last run he has the right to try for this race anyway. It looks to be a strong race and that's good for the King George.”
Goliath is a son of the Listed-winning Shamardal mare Gouache (Ger). His third dam Guadalupe (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) was the German champion three-year-old filly and is a full-sister to Getaway (Ger), a dual Group 1 winner in Germany and Group 2 winner in France and England for von Ullmann's father, Georg. Those same famous yellow silks with blue cross-belts have also been borne by the likes of fellow Group 1 winners Shirocco (Ger) and Manduro (Ger).
“Philip is very excited,” Graffard said. “It's the only horse running in his colours so this is great for him.”
Graffard, left, and Nemone Routh, right, with Calandagan | Scoop Dyga
Not since the brilliant Triptych in 1987 has a French raider made off with the trophy for the G1 Juddmonte International but that is another major British prize in Graffard's sights and he will be taking aim with his highly impressive Royal Ascot winner Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}). The Aga Khan's three-year-old put six lengths between himself and the chasing pack when bowling to victory in the G1 King Edward VII Stakes.
“Calandagan is in very good form,” he said. “I gave him a little bit of time after Ascot and he is now back in full work and looks fantastic. I am leaning towards going to York with him.”
Nemone Routh, racing manager for the Aga Khan Studs, confirmed the intention of another cross-Channel outing for the gelding, who has now won four of his six starts, having landed the G3 Prix Noailles and G3 Prix Hocquart ahead of Royal Ascot. Calandagan also holds an entry for the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville, which takes place six days before the International.
She said, “We're all of the opinion that York will suit Calandagan better than Deauville, as we are bringing him back in trip. He has run over a mile and a quarter most of the year anyway, so it's not a big thing to bring him back, but we just think that long straight at York will suit him more. Deauville is quite a sharp track, really, it's flat and it's only just over two furlongs in the straight. York is probably going to be a tougher race but we feel that he really proved himself at Ascot and we don't really have much to lose.
“He doesn't really have any ground preference, so it doesn't matter what happens there. We were conscious that he was really stepping up on what he'd done in France when he went to Ascot, and this is another massive step up, but the form-lines of his races have actually worked out very well.”
Routh added, “We'll have to see how he gets on at York, but I know Francis is considering the Champion Stakes for him as well. He has improved through the year and he is an exciting horse to have.”
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