The World's Best Horse to Line Up in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud
Press Release Friday, July 3, 2026
Sunday, July 5, 2026 – Saint-Cloud Racecourse
The World's Best Horse to Line Up in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud
Crowned the world's best horse in 2025 following his outstanding performance in the Japan Cup, French star Calandagan will make his return to France on Sunday in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Group 1, the highest level of Thoroughbred racing). Winner of the race last year, the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained gelding will attempt to defend his title against top-class opposition led by fellow French runners Aventure and Leffard, as well as Irish challenger Lambourn, winner of both the Derby at Epsom and the Irish Derby (Group 1 races) last season. Calandagan will also attempt to join the exclusive club of horses to have won the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud twice. Only five horses have achieved the feat: Nino (1926, 1927), Tanerko (1957, 1958), Rheingold (1972, 1973), Helissio (1996, 1997) and Ange Gabriel (2002, 2003).
Beyond its sporting significance, this meeting is the highlight of the year at Saint-Cloud Racecourse. On this occasion, the traditional Grand Painting Competition will celebrate its 28th edition. Open to everyone, it will bring together professional and amateur artists, who will be invited to create, in a single day, a work inspired by the atmosphere of the races, while the public will also be able to take part in the creation of a giant mural.
French runners lead the home challenge
Calandagan has raced twice in 2026. The Aga Khan homebred, trained at Chantilly by Francis-Henri Graffard, first captured the Dubai Sheema Classic (Group 1) at Meydan before finishing fourth in the Coronation Cup (Group 1) at Epsom on very soft ground.
Nemone Routh, Racing Manager of Aga Khan Studs in France, breeders and owners of Calandagan (draw 8):
"Calandagan worked well on Tuesday and we are very pleased with his condition. He will return to a track that suits him and to a racecourse where he has already performed very well. Based on what we have been seeing at home, there was no reason not to let him run. Mickaël Barzalona rode him in work this week, knows him perfectly and was very happy with him.
Of course, we need to see him back on the racecourse after his fourth-place finish at Epsom, but we believe the circumstances that day were very unusual, with extremely soft ground on a track that does not really suit him. Now he has to show us that he is still the real Calandagan, but everything we have seen at home has been reassuring and we have no particular concerns."
Aventure will seek revenge on Calandagan, who comfortably defeated her in this race last year. Winner of the Qatar Prix Vermeille (Group 1) in 2025, the Christophe Ferland-trained mare recently made a winning seasonal reappearance in the Prix Corrida (Group 2).
Pierre-Yves Bureau, Racing Manager for Wertheimer & Frère, breeder and owner of Aventure (draw 5):
"Everything is going well with Aventure! We had entered her in the Pretty Polly Stakes (Group 1), but we preferred to stay in France. Travelling to Ireland requires careful planning and can be tiring, especially in very hot weather. She won the Prix Corrida (Group 2) very well, and her comeback in the Prix Ganay (Group 1) was not a bad performance : she was rather unlucky in the closing stages. Good ground is absolutely fine for her. She should not be labelled as a soft-ground mare; it is simply that easier ground inconveniences her less than it does some others!"
A total of five French-trained Thoroughbreds will line up. Among them is Leffard, trained in Pau by Jean-Claude Rouget. Runner-up in both his starts this season, in the Prix d'Harcourt (Group 2) and the Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d'Ispahan) (Group 1), he returns to 2,400 metres, a distance that perfectly suits his abilities.
Jean-Claude Rouget, trainer of Leffard (draw 7):
"This has been his main spring target. This year he has produced two good performances over shorter distances, finishing second in both the Prix d'Harcourt (Group 2) and the Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d'Ispahan) (Group 1), and returning to 2,400 metres is a real advantage for him. The ground will suit him. I think he has a very good chance."
International opposition
Three foreign-trained horses will also take part: Irish challenger Lambourn, trained by Aidan O'Brien, whose stable has already won three Group 1 races in France this year, together with the British-trained Eydon, fourth in the Grand Prix de Chantilly (Group 2) on May 31, and Pride Of Arras, trained by Ralph Beckett. Beckett has enjoyed notable success in France, highlighted by his victory in the 2024 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Bluestocking.
Ralph Beckett, trainer of Pride Of Arras (draw 6):
“Pride Of Arras has not raced since November, but he runs well when fresh. His best performances have come on flat, left-handed tracks, so we believe Saint-Cloud should suit him particularly well!”
The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, the third leg of the ARC RACES series
The feature race of the day, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, is the third leg of the ARC RACES series, an eight-race circuit leading to the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Winners of these qualifying races, provided they meet the conditions of the Arc, receive a Wild Card guaranteeing them a place in the world's greatest autumn racing challenge.
Five World Pool by PMU races
Beyond its sporting appeal, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud meeting will once again be held as part of the World Pool by PMU initiative, the result of the partnership between PMU and the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). Five races on the card will carry the World Pool by PMU label, identifying the races in which the HKJC joins the PMU's common betting pool for the Win and Place pools.
Bets placed in Hong Kong on these two betting products will therefore be merged with the PMU's common pool, increasing the total amount wagered.
The five races concerned are:
- Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud – World Pool by PMU
- Prix des Coteaux de Saint-Cloud – World Pool by PMU
- Prix des Hauts-de-Seine – World Pool by PMU
- Prix des Réservoirs de l'Avre – World Pool by PMU
- Prix du Jardin de l'Avre – World Pool by PMU