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Royal Ascot winner Calandagan is set to take on William Haggas' Irish Champion Stakes hero Economics in a potentially mouthwatering British Champion Stakes at Ascot.
A commanding six-length winner of the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting, the son of Gleneagles returned to the UK to face City Of Troy in the Group 1 International Stakes at York. Although no match for the Breeders' Cup Classic-bound superstar, he was only beaten a length on that occasion and connections can now look forward to Ascot.
Speaking of Calandagan's preparations, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said: "Everything is well, and he looks in very good shape. Provided all goes well between now and Champions Day, he will be spot-on for the Champion Stakes.
"I thought it was a fantastic run at York. He accelerated strongly and his final three furlongs were impressive. The main difference between York and Champions Day will likely be the ground, but he has form on soft ground earlier in the year.
"We have already met City Of Troy and now we take on another very strong opponent in Economics. We know that Calandagan is a very good horse and look forward to the race."
Calandagan looks unlikely to be the sole French challenge Economics will face on Champions Day, with the Jean-Pierre Gavin-trained Irisine also expected to take his chance.
The seven-year-old is yet to race in the UK but is a dual French Group 1 winner, having landed the Prix Royal-Oak in 2022 and Prix Ganay in 2023.
A winner of the mile-and-a-half Group 2 Prix Foy at Longchamp last month, Irisine is a general 20/1 chance for his return to Group 1 company.
Trainer Jean-Pierre Gavin, who is yet to saddle a runner in the UK, said: "The horse deserves to run in Group 1 races and we all collectively really want to experience this English adventure with the different co-owners, including my children. Personally, I have never had a runner in England. The distance may be short for him, but he has already won a Group race, the La Coupe, over 2,000m. The distance is not the most important factor for him. With Iresine, the key is the ground. We hope it will be as soft as possible.
"The horse is better than ever after the Prix Foy. His last outing did him a lot of good, and I think he is in top form now."
