Calandagan Wins the Japan Cup and Confrims Himself as the Best Horse in the World

After winning the Japan Cup (G1), the most important race on the Eastern racing calendar, Calandagan (Gleneagles), the Aga Khan’s star runner, remains the highest-rated horse in the world (130) and validates the recent “Horse of the Year” title awarded by Cartier.

Calandagan (Gleneagles) winning the Japan Cup (G1).

The Japan Cup, held annually at Tokyo Racecourse over 2400 meters, equivalent to a mile and a half or 12 furlongs, and awarding more than 300 million yen to the winner (approximately U$D 1,920,000), is Japan’s most prestigious international race and one of the richest in the world. Created in 1981 to attract the best horses on the planet, it quickly became a benchmark event comparable to the Breeders’ Cup Turf in terms of purse and international standing. However, since 2005, when the British runner Alkaased (Kingmambo) defeated Heart’s Cry (Sunday Silence), no foreign horse had managed to win the race, nor even finish on the podium, reflecting the spectacular progress of Japanese breeding. The 2025 edition broke that 20-year streak with the victory of the Irish-bred gelding Calandagan (Gleneagles), a triumph that underscores the strength of the Aga Khan’s operation.

The 2025 running, held before a massive crowd at Tokyo Racecourse, delivered a thrilling spectacle. Masquerade Ball (Duramente), a prominent performer in last year’s Japanese Triple Crown, set the pace over firm going while Calandagan (Gleneagles) tracked from a stalking, mid-pack position. The stretch run produced a memorable duel: the European contender, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, launched a long sustained rally on the outside and caught Masquerade Ball (Duramente) 100 meters from the wire. The pair ran head-and-head until the visitor found the slightest advantage in the final strides to prevail by half a head, stopping the clock in 2:20.3. Local favorite Danon Decile (Epiphaneia) finished two and a half lengths back in third, while Croix du Nord (Kitasan Black), another major Japanese runner and winner of the Japanese Derby, finished fourth. The second- and third-place finishers were both bred by Shadai Farm in Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan.

Calandagan (Gleneagles) is an unusual profile for the top level: a four-year-old gelding who began his career in France. A son of Gleneagles (Galileo) out of Calayana (Sinndar), he has shown steady improvement and uncommon versatility. Unable to compete in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe due to being a gelding, he nonetheless won multiple Group 1 races throughout 2025, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and Champion Stakes, establishing himself as the world’s number one horse even before traveling to Japan. His record now stands at 14 starts with 8 wins, 5 seconds, and 1 third, a remarkable display of consistency. As a gelding, he has no breeding future, meaning his value lies entirely in his performance and the prestige he brings to his breeder, The Aga Khan Studs.

Calandagan’s female line is one of the strongest aspects of his profile. His dam, Calayana (Sinndar), was third in the Prix Minerve (G3) and belongs to the family of Clodora (Linamix), a foundation French broodmare who produced the classic champion Clodovil (Danehill) and the classic-placed Colombian (Azamour). His second dam, Clariyn (Acclamation), is a half-sister to Canndal (Medicean), runner-up in the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) on turf. Four of his last five dams are black-type winners, a lineage that explains the blend of class and stamina the gelding shows. The influence of Sinndar (Grand Lodge) through Calayana contributes depth and temperament, while Gleneagles, through his dam You’resothrilling (Storm Cat), adds a highly efficient aerobic engine.

The tight finish between Calandagan (Gleneagles) and Masquerade Ball (Duramente).

The Aga Khan Studs, breeder of Calandagan (Gleneagles), is one of the pillars of global Thoroughbred breeding. Founded in the early 20th century, the operation of Aga Khan IV and his family has produced countless champions such as Shergar, Azamour, Sinndar, Daryaba, Dalakhani, Zarkava, Mahmoud, Valyra, and Sea The Stars, among others—combining European lines with rigorous selection. Their philosophy of “breeding to race” means maintaining a core band of high-quality broodmares and crossing them with carefully chosen stallions to achieve a balance of speed and stamina. Calandagan fits perfectly into this tradition; bred by the French branch of the stud, he was kept to race for the Aga Khan after showing early promise as a youngster.

For experienced French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, a graduate of the Godolphin Flying Start program in 2005, this victory marked his first Japan Cup. Just like his compatriot and colleague Robert Collet, who won the same race in 1987 with Le Glorieux (Cure The Blues), both achieved the feat with a French jockey, Mickael Barzalona in 2025 and Alain Lequeux in 1987.

Calandagan’s victory in the Japan Cup carries implications beyond statistics. From a sporting perspective, it confirms that Europe’s best runners can still succeed in Japan and may encourage more foreign owners to target the race again, as was common in the 1980s and 1990s. From a genetic standpoint—despite his lack of breeding future—his triumph reinforces the value of crossing Galileo lines with German-Irish stamina families like Clodora’s, further elevating the prestige of his female line. It also bolsters the perception of Gleneagles as a sire capable of producing top-class stayers, whereas he had previously been known mainly for milers. For Japanese racing, the defeat does not diminish the strength of their local program: after two decades of dominance in which no foreigner had lifted the Cup, Calandagan’s arrival places their current level in context and suggests that continued international genetic exchange remains essential to maintaining global competitiveness.