Connections of seven horses went into the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1) hoping that Calandagan, the eighth runner, would throw in a second consecutive clunker and open up a chink of light in what looked an otherwise impregnable profile.
For those who have watched this athletic cruiserweight of a gelding grow in reputation and stature over the last two and a half years, there were signs beforehand that it was more than just the July Parisian heat that was getting to last year's world champion.
But in a blazing half-minute, all doubts were blown away, as Calandagan produced a timely reminder that no turf horse has ever run a mile and a half as fast as him, sweeping from last to first in the length of the Saint-Cloud Racecourse straight to become the first dual winner of the Grand Prix since 2002.
The handicappers will struggle to give him a big rating for beating Cualificar a neck, with stablemate Sunly a further three-quarters of a length back in third. However, he completed the last 3 furlongs in :32.67, and that should be the measure of what Calandagan achieved here.
Even allowing for ground officially measured at a lightning-fast 2.9 on the Penetrometer, Calandagan came from a mile back and shattered the clock.
Winning trainer Francis Graffard told one television reporter that Calandagan is "like a greyhound chasing a rabbit".
Princess Zahra Aga Khan has observed before that her champion gets lower to the ground and sticks his neck out in the final strides of a race, capping a long acceleration that builds rather than explodes.
Reminded of her previous analysis, Princess Zahra said: "When you're watching a race like that, you're not sure the horse has the stamina and the acceleration from the back of the field to go all the way to the front, and I've seen far too many horses dropped out the back and finish second or third, which is a very frustrating experience.
"But with him, I got the sense maybe 3 furlongs out that he had just decided, 'Right, I'm on it'."
Graffard has had five weeks to reproach himself for not taking Calandagan out of the Coronation Cup (G1), and watching a sweaty and edgy horse in front of him in the parade ring gave him an extra dose of self-doubt with which to wrestle.
A clearly relieved trainer said: "I gave him three weeks after Epsom to be sure he was over that misadventure, but the last two weeks he has been right back on his A-game and if I'd had the slightest doubt, we wouldn't have come here - I wouldn't have taken the risk after what happened at Epsom.
"I was quite confident, but he had a poor draw and had to come from a very long way back. But what a horse - he accelerates and he never stops."
Graffard added: "To see him sweating up did worry me a bit because I thought he was a little bit tense. He's been around the world and seen everything, so there was no reason for him to get wound up here, and I really think he was still upset at what happened last time. I was certainly a bit stressed out when I saw him like that.
"But he's just such a star, and confidence-wise that will do him good."
Calandagan hardened as favorite for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1), another race whose list of multiple winners is select in the extreme.
There will be a week less to prepare than between these two races in 2025, and Graffard admitted he'll need to tread a fine line.
"It's a slight issue because today it's very hot, so I hope he'll recuperate well, and it's the horse who will tell me if there's an issue or not," he said. "But it's the obvious race for him, he loves Ascot, and he loves a mile and a half. Today is a good day."
It was a very good day indeed.
