French star Calandagan secured the Group 1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, the eighth race of the 30th Dubai World Cup meeting held today at Meydan Racecourse.
Owned by Aga Khan Studs SC EA, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and ridden by jockey Mickael Barzalona, Calandagan triumphed in the 2,410-metre turf contest. Facing a field of six elite international stayers, the victory earned a top prize of $3.48 million from the $6 million total purse sponsored by Longines.
Calandagan clocked a winning time of 2:27.88 to claim the prestigious title.
The UAE’s West Wind Blows, owned by Abdulla Al Mansoori, finished second under trainers Simon and Ed Crisford and jockey Rossa Ryan, earning $1.2 million.
Third place went to the Italian-owned Giavellotto, owned by Scuderia La Tesa and Vaibhav Shah, trained by Marco Botti and ridden by James Doyle, taking home $600,000.