The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is more than just a Group 1 race – it’s a gateway to history 📖.
In recent years, it has hosted the likes of Westover (record holder in 2023 with 2’25”46), Alpinista (2022), Waldgeist (2018), and Trêve (2015) — all champions who later dazzled in the Arc de Triomphe or on the international stage 🌍. Let’s say it plainly: the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a race for champions and deserves far more recognition on the global racing scene.
In 2025, the field was small but brimming with talent ✨. A duel between Aventure and Calandagan was expected.
Instead, it turned into a solo exhibition from Calandagan, delivering a performance as clear as it was quantified 🔥.
Access to full tracking report here 📈
A truly run race – far from a false pace 🕒
Despite fears of a tactical affair in a small field, the 2025 Grand Prix delivered a genuinely strong gallop.
The final time of 2’28”28 ranks as the 10th fastest in the race’s history — not quite matching Westover’s record (2’25”46 in 2023), but the intermediate sectionals reveal a sustained and high-quality rhythm throughout 📈.
That, however, is where the comparison with Westover ends — because when it comes to acceleration, Calandagan takes us into another dimension 🚀.
Key sectionals comparison:
A solid tempo, 4.05 seconds faster than Daryz’s equivalent split in the Prix Eugène Adam (G2) — a clear indication that this race suited not only stamina horses, but also powerful finishers 💪.
📊Full data set available here⏱️
*Additional distance covered = actual distance run by the horse minus the official race distance (2400 m), reflecting the impact of race positioning.
Calandagan: a gradual build-up, followed by a devastating turn of foot ⚡
Tracking in 4th position throughout, Calandagan ran a tactically perfect race.
With 600 meters to go, he was still 12.88 meters behind the leader — but what followed was pure domination:
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Final 600m in 33.67s (Westover: 35.90s)
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Final 400m in 22.05s (Westover: 24.22s)
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And above all, an exceptional 10.76s split between the 400m and 200m markers 🧨
This is simply one of the sharpest accelerations ever recorded over this distance at Saint-Cloud in recent years.
The top speed of 68 km/h places him in elite international territory 🌟 — approaching standards reached only by true top-class winners.
📊Full data set available here⏱️
🐎 CALANDAGAN | 🏎️ Vit max : 68.87 km/h | ⏱️ Durée : 0.20 s | 📍 Endroit du parcours : 265.86 m
🐎 AVENTURE | 🏎️ Vit max : 67.00 km/h | ⏱️ Durée : 0.60 s | 📍 Endroit du parcours : 264.08 m
🐎 JUNKO | 🏎️ Vit max : 63.54 km/h | ⏱️ Durée : 0.30 s | 📍 Endroit du parcours : 211.82 m
🐎 IRESINE | 🏎️ Vit max : 65.12 km/h | ⏱️ Durée : 0.70 s | 📍 Endroit du parcours : 310.99 m
🐎 GOLIATH | 🏎️ Vit max : 61.52 km/h | ⏱️ Durée : 0.50 s | 📍 Endroit du parcours : 438.93 m
🧾 Conclusion : un vrai test d’endurance, servi par la vitesse ⏱️
Le Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud 2025 restera comme un excellent cru technique 🍷, où le galop constant a permis de révéler le vrai niveau des protagonistes, sans biais tactique. Dans ce cadre exigeant, Calandagan a livré un passage en force, sans appel, balayant toute l’opposition 🐎💨. Son accélération fulgurante a laissé sans voix commentateurs comme rivaux : Aventure, attendue comme son égal, n’a pu que regarder passer la cavalerie.
Un vrai test d’endurance, servi par la vitesse ⏱️, et parfaitement relevé par Calandagan, dont la capacité à finir vite dans une course déjà régulière donne des gages très solides pour la suite de la saison, y compris au plus haut niveau 🏆.
