World number one Kalandagan is ready for Dubai World Cup night

International media revealed that the world’s highest ranked horse in speed racing for the year 2025, the horse “Kalandagan”, is heading to participate in the “Dubai Shaima Classic” race, which will be held next Saturday, at the “Meydan” track, as part of the competitions of the 30th evening of the Dubai World Cup, knowing that he finished runner-up in the same race in last year’s edition.

The event, which is held annually at the Meydan track, is one of the most prominent stations in the international horse racing calendar, and attracts the elite of horses and the most prominent owners from around the world.
The British newspaper “The Garden” explained, “The decision to participate came after consultations conducted by the Aga Khan Stables Foundation, which owns the horse, Kalandagan, with its staff in Dubai, which gave the green light for the five-year-old horse to participate, and its training is supervised by Frases-Henri Gravart.”
Speaking to the British newspaper, Aga Khan Racing Director Nemon Roth said: “We are very happy with (Kalandagan’s) performance, and if we had not participated in the Dubai race, we would have looked for him to participate in the races next summer.”
She added: “The horse is in good condition, and we already have the filly (Raifka) in Dubai accompanied by the work team there, and we are in constant contact with them.”
She explained: “On Friday, the horse showed an excellent level of performance during a training session, after which the situation was fully evaluated with our team in Dubai, and (Kalandagan) was given the green light to travel from Paris to Dubai, to participate in the Dubai World Cup evening.”
The horse, “Kalandagan,” obtained the highest ranking in the world, after being crowned last November with the “Japan Cup” title, adding a new achievement to his record of successes last season, especially in the European racing season, achieving in the year 2025 four victories in the first category “Group 1” races.
On the evening of the Dubai World Cup, Kalandagan faces prominent competitors in the Dubai Shaima Classic, led by the star of the Godolphin team, the horse Ripples Romance, who won the title of the same race under the supervision of his trainer Charlie Appleby in the 2022 and 2024 editions, in addition to the presence of the horse Ethical Diamond, which won under the supervision of trainer Willie Mullins last November the title of the famous American Breeders’ Cup Turf race.