Kalpana turns tables on Calandagan in King George VI & Queen Elizabeth

Juddmonte’s homebred Kalpana was second to Calandagan in last year’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth (G1), but the classy mare turned the tables in Saturday’s renewal of the prestigious Ascot feature. 

Kalpana’s victory in this “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) crowned a banner day for trainer Andrew Balding. Earlier at Ascot, Moonrise stamped her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) in the Princess Margaret (G3). Up north, Item defeated older horses in the York (G2). 

Item, another Juddmonte homebred, was rebounding from a subpar effort in the Derby (G1) on soft going at Epsom. His performance hinted of a good run in the King George from the lone three-year-old in the field, Benvenuto Cellini, who similarly turned the page on an Epsom debacle to win the Irish Derby (G1). Aidan O’Brien’s best hope at Ascot, Benvenuto Cellini was dispatched as the 4-1 second choice in his first test versus elders, and he held his own in a fine third to Kalpana and Calandagan. 

King George VI & Queen Elizabeth (G1)

Kalpana was coming off a tough beat as the favorite in the Hardwicke (G2), the course-and-distance prep at Royal Ascot, where she was mugged on the line by Giavellotto. But Balding was convinced that the five-year-old mare was physically stronger than ever going into her King George bid, and she proved him right to return $15 stateside.

Juddmonte’s retained jockey, Colin Keane, delivered a pitch-perfect ride. Drafting behind the Ballydoyle pace relay, led by Action, Kalpana sat in midpack while Calandagan and well-fancied Japanese shipper Masquerade Ball were anchored at the rear.

On the turn for home, Action was inhaled by stablemates Minnie Hauk and Lambourn, but Kalpana was moving ominously well in their wake. Keane shifted outside, exploiting a seam between the Ballydoyle vanguard and Benvenuto Cellini, who was looming into contention. Widest of all, defending champion Calandagan began to unleash his rally.

Kalpana, in the middle of the five-way scrum, outkicked them all to drive clear. Although Calandagan soldiered on gallantly, he could not catch Kalpana in their rematch. 

Maintaining a 1 1/2-length margin at the wire, Kalpana negotiated 1 1/2 miles on good-to-firm ground in 2:27.72. 

Calandagan salvaged second by a half-length from the staying-on Benvenuto Cellini. Lambourn, last year’s Epsom and Irish Derby hero, did well to hold fourth after racing forwardly as part of the Ballydoyle pace scenario. There was a 6 1/2-length gap back to Goliath, the 2024 King George winner. Next came Action; the disappointing Masquerade Ball, who was too spirited pre-race and failed to settle early; the subpar Minnie Hauk, who arguably should have been held up further back; and Japanese longshot Wurttemberg, who was eased. 

Kalpana’s resume now reads 17-8-6-2. All three of her Group 1 wins have come at Ascot, including the past two editions of the British Champions Fillies & Mares (G1). Connections had believed that she preferred a little more ease in the ground to produce her best, but she scored a new career high here in quick conditions. 

Kalpana also beat males as a sophomore in the 2024 Glasgow S. and the September (G3) on the Kempton Polytrack, and in her 2026 reappearance in the May 16 Aston Park (G3) at Newbury. Her notable stakes placings include last year’s Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1), Pretty Polly (G1) and September as well as the 2024 Ribblesdale (G2).

Seventh in last fall’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), Kalpana could be a different proposition in Paris this October. By winning the King George, she etched her name alongside Juddmonte’s great mare Enable, a three-time heroine of the Ascot showpiece and two-time Arc champion. 

Enable collected the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf along the way, and it remains to be seen if Kalpana will take up her free berth at Keeneland. Benvenuto Cellini already has the Breeders’ Cup in his datebook.

British-bred Kalpana is by Study of Man, one of the European classic winners by Japanese legend Deep Impact. Kalpana’s dam, French stakes vixen Zero Gravity (by Dansili), is a full sister to 2007 Grand Prix de Paris (G1) victor Zambezi Sun. 

Princess Margaret (G3)

The other Breeders’ Cup Challenge race on King George Day, the Princess Margaret, likewise witnessed a minor upset courtesy of Moonrise ($11.50).

The six-furlong affair served up a clash of formlines from the Royal meeting. Moonrise, who was a close second to King of Cloughan in the course-and-distance Windsor Castle S., prevailed over rivals exiting the Albany (G3) and Queen Mary (G2) in their own division. 

With Oisin Murphy aboard, Moonrise traveled keenly from a stalking position on the far side. The Churchill filly picked up with about a furlong to go and just lasted from the fast-finishing Dee’s Funny Girl. Moonrise kept her neck in front in a final time of 1:14.18.

Dee’s Funny Girl, improving from a sixth in the Albany, might have won if not for a slow start. Acquired by U.S. connections including Medallion Racing, she stamped herself as one to watch in her first start for trainer Donnacha O’Brien. 

Velozee, stepping up a furlong after her eighth in the Queen Mary, fought hard to snare third in a photo-finish from Nuit d’Eclair and Miss Kodi. Harlequin Sky, who had been third in the Windsor Castle, wound up a traffic-ridden sixth. Alta Regina, the Queen Mary sixth, checked in seventh. Dark Issue, favored off her fourth in the Albany, faded to eighth in the 11-filly field.

Ahmad Alkhallafi’s Irish homebred Moonrise advanced her record to 3-2-1-0. The bay won on debut at Kempton before coming within a half-length of a 66-1 surprise in the Windsor Castle.

The third Windsor Castle graduate to win a stakes race, Moonrise joins Celeron and Alfred Wallace, both also-rans who leaped forward next time out. Celeron went on to win the Railway (G2) at the Curragh, while Alfred Wallace captured Friday’s Pat Eddery S. at Ascot. The Windsor Castle winner, King of Cloughan, was subsequently runner-up in the Prix Robert Papin (G2) to the exciting Tokaido.

Moonrise is out of the Kingman mare Queen of Silca, whose dam, Silca Chiave, placed in the 2006 Moyglare Stud (G1) and Cheveley Park (G1). She comes from the family of multiple Group 2 winner and classic-placed Golden Silca and the aptly-named Silca’s Sister, successful in the 2005 Prix Morny (G1).