French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard has confirmed Calandagan will not take his place in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup two weeks after Sunday’s G1 Japan Cup, ruling out a potentially historic Sha Tin clash with Romantic Warrior this year.
Less than 24 hours after Calandagan was named among the Hong Kong Cup entries – teasing racing fans with the prospect of the world’s top-rated horse going head-to-head with Hong Kong’s middle-distance superstar – Graffard shut the door at a press conference at Tokyo Racecourse, citing the lack of recovery time between major runs.
“As for Calandagan, he won’t be going to Hong Kong this year. We’ll see about next year. However, Goliath and Quisisana will both be coming. They are doing very well and are in good form,” Graffard said.
Graffard and HKJC officials indicated the HKIR nomination had been lodged as a contingency rather than a firm plan – a safety net if Calandagan had suffered a minor setback that prevented him running in the Japan Cup, with Sha Tin positioned as a late-season back-up. Once the Japan Cup became the confirmed target, however, Graffard said the idea of a Hong Kong Cup follow-up was always going to be doubtful despite the allure of the matchup.
“I would love to see Calandagan challenging Romantic Warrior but the race is very close to the Japan Cup on Sunday. So it’s really doubtful that the horse will go to Hong Kong after that,” he said.
Calandagan arrives at Fuchu as the world’s highest-rated horse after a spectacular European summer, and Graffard said the Japan Cup has been the stable’s autumn target since mid-season, with preparations built specifically around peaking in Tokyo.
“The decision to participate in the Japan Cup was made early – we targeted this race after the King George (VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes). That was where we wanted to go over the autumn and I was looking for ways to get him ready for the Japan Cup. So the only suitable race for that was at Ascot in the Champion Stakes,” he said.
Graffard reported the horse had travelled strongly from France and settled smoothly into the Japanese environment.
“We are really happy with how the horse travelled from France. He took the journey very well … the staff are very happy with his condition in general and his behaviour. He eats everything. So we can say he took his journey very, very well today,” he said.
He also highlighted the particular challenges posed by the Japan Cup’s extensive pre-race routine and the importance of barrier luck in an 18-runner field.
“It’s the Japan Cup, and the horse has to walk so long behind the stalls in front of the crowd, which is very difficult. So I just hope my horse will be able to relax and not lose too much energy behind the stalls,” Graffard said. “18 runners is a very, very big field and the draw is obviously very important. I would like anything below 10 but this is only luck so we will do with what we get.” ∎
