IT would have been understandable had Princess Zahra Aga Khan, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs management team drawn stumps on the season for their star performer and Cartier Horse of the Year, Calandagan (Gleneagles), after his third successive Group 1 win of the season. While victory for Daryz in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was the most special win of the year for the Princess, what happened at the weekend in Japan will have come a close second.

Last month, Calandagan became the fourth horse bred by the Aga Khan Studs to be crowned Cartier Horse of the Year following Daylami (1999), Dalakhani (2003) and Zarkava (2008), and this time it was poignant as it followed the passing of His Highness Aga Khan IV in February. Calandagan was given the accolade after he had enjoyed a superb campaign, defeating top-class opposition in three Group 1 races, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the QIPCO Champion Stakes. Brigadier Gerard more than half a century ago is the only other horse in history to win the last two races in the same season.