Mickaël Barzalona on #4 Calandagan, part of today’s Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes field. Photo: Francesca Altoft/focusonracing.comCalandagan (#4) leads six top 100 Global Rankings horses in contention for the 2026 edition of one of Britain’s most valuable races. Describing a race as a ‘vintage renewal’ before it has been run could be risky, but today’s Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes certainly has the necessary ingredients to fit that label. Goliath, though famous for his stringhalt, might carry a lesser competitive profile than his aforementioned stablemate. He has, however, won at Group 1 level since claiming this race two years ago, claiming last year’s Grosser Preis von Baden by a length and a quarter.