Dubai World Cup 2026: Calandagan's late surge to win Sheema Classic left Princess Zahra 'terrified'

Princess Zahra Aga Khan admitted she was “terrified” watching Calandagan trail race leader West Wind Blows before a late surge saw him claim the Dubai Sheema Classic at Saturday’s World Cup. Officially rated the world’s best racehorse, Calandagan trailed by 10 lengths at the halfway stage and still had four lengths to make up with 400m left in the $6 million race. But such is the confidence jockey Mickael Barzalona had in his horse, when he finally said go, the result went from suspense to a formality in a matter of strides. The five-year-old homebred stamped his abundant class on the race, running out an easy three-quarters of a length winner. Asked how much she enjoyed watching the race unfold, Princess Zahra said: “No, not a bit of it! “It was terrifying. They went slow but Mickael has been riding him like that for two years, so we weren’t terrified until the final turn. Now we’re not any more. “He has an amazing stride and he also has an amazing motor and a will to win. You can always tell with him, the last few strides, he puts his entire soul into it. It’s amazing to watch.” Four months on from becoming the first foreign-trained winner of the Japan Cup in 20 years, the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained five-year-old once again showed why he is being tipped by many to retain his status as the world’s best. Asked about future targets, Princess Zahra added: “I think we might go home for a while, because the rest of us are exhausted, let alone the horse. “I think we might take a bit of a breather and then stay in Europe at the start of the summer, then we’ll see. “Ultimately if we end up going back to Japan at the end of the year - I mean it’s a very long way off - all the races he’s run in already are options. Francis and the team and I have to discuss it.” At the start of last season, Calandagan continued a run of heartbreaking seconds, including a runner-up finish to Danon Decile in the Dubai Sheema Classic. But Graffard never lost faith in his horse, and has now masterminded a sequence of five straight Group 1 victories. He admitted to suffering ahead of the Japan Cup and once again he appeared to momentarily age before the race, aware of the disappointment that would come with anything other than victory. “That was really hard,” said Graffard. “It became such a tactical race and it's difficult because there’s a lot of pressure that comes with running a horse like this. “The difference now is that Mickael knows him so well.” While owner and trainer went on a Meydan rollercoaster, the man in the saddle maintained laser-focus to deliver a millimetre-perfect steer on a horse he only inherited when becoming first jockey to the Aga Khan Studs at the start of 2025. “He’s an incredible horse, he's got his own attitude,” said Barzalona. “I know him very well now and he always gives plenty in the end, I just need to trust him. “That's all that jockeys dream about, to find this kind of incredible horse and I'm very glad and very grateful for the opportunity to be part of this team as well.” Reflecting on the run of the race, Barzalona added: “I thought my main dangers were Giavellotto and the [Willie] Mullins horse [Ethical Diamond] which was behind me. “And when I thought I was going much better than Giavellotto, it was my turn to go. I didn’t expect West Wind Blows to give me that hard a race.” Confidence breeds confidence, and the partnership between Calandagan and Barzalona has now forged an unshakable belief in their ability to take on any opposition and any situation. The rest of the world will have a hard time dislodging his crown as the season unfolds.

Dubai World Cup 2026: Calandagan's late surge to win Sheema Classic left Princess Zahra 'terrified'

World's top-rated horse trailed by four lengths before turning on the afterburners to rein in West Wind Blows

Dubai World Cup 2026 - in pictures