Calandagan finally wins his big one as he comes from last to first in the King George at Ascot

CALANDAGAN has been called lots of names over the last 12 months, not many of them nice.

Well, now he’ll forever be known as a King George winner after a performance which silenced the doubters in no uncertain terms.

GettyCalandagan (11-10f) won a King George thriller at Ascot[/caption]

The horse who long seemed destined to go down as one of the game’s great bridesmaids had every opportunity to throw in the towel when Kalpana quickened away and push came to shove.

He could have folded like a cheap suit when asked to make a lung-busting run after the filly who’d got first run and was getting 3lb, or hoisted the white flag when eye-balling her in the heat of battle.

Instead, he dug deeper than the Channel Tunnel to give his burgeoning trainer Francis-Henri Graffard — a coming force on the world stage — his second King George in a row. Magnifique.

Not so the Ballydoyle tactics, which even left Graffard and winning jockey Mickael Barzalona scratching their heads.

Here they had the 5-2 second favourite in Jan Brueghel, a horse with abundant stamina who outstayed Calandagan at Epsom two months ago and for whom a strong, end-to-end gallop was vital.

Everyone expected the 40-1 rag Continuous to set off on his usual pace-making duties to ensure it wasn’t a tactical race. Puzzlingly, he was dropped in behind his stablemate and they ended up going a crawl as Jan Brueghel did the donkey work.

It made little sense — not that Barzalona was complaining. He was on the horse with the best turn of foot, so he must have been licking his lips.

Mind you, Andrew Balding’s fine filly Kalpana showed an impressive burst of her own as she kicked for home at the two-furlong pole.

Oisin Murphy moved up going strongly as Jan Brueghel struggled to go through the gears as the pace lifted before she suddenly exploded two or three lengths clear.

It looked for the best part of a furlong that Calandagan would be unable to reel her in but, as all the top-class ones do, he quickened once, quickened twice and was going away by a length at the line.

He was second in the Juddmonte International, Champion Stakes, Sheema Classic and Coronation Cup — but he’s the Chantilly shirker no more.

Graffard said: “I never had any doubts about his will to win, when he’s been beaten he has had excuses.

“He was really far back at York last year and he quickened really strongly, probably too late. He was beaten by a good horse in Dubai and at Epsom things didn’t go to plan.

“I never thought it was because he didn’t want to try and his jockeys have never reported that to me either.

“This is the fifth time Mickael has ridden him, he has been getting to know him and knows what to do on him now. There is no doubt anymore about the horse.”

In hindsight, maybe Murphy could have held on for a few more seconds on Kalpana before committing her for home. But Balding was chuffed with the run as she continues to build towards her D-Day in the Arc.

He said: “I’m very proud of her, she’s run her heart out again and just been beaten by a good horse. We’ll work back from the Arc, now.”

It looks like the Juddmonte International at York is next on the agenda for Calandagan, where a mouthwatering showdown with Field Of Gold awaits. Tres bien.