Kalpana produced the performance of her season to beat Calandagan by one and a half lengths in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, giving Andrew Balding his first success in the midsummer showpiece and putting her back into the mix for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
It was a significant result for the Balding family as well. Ian Balding saddled Mill Reef to win the same race in 1971, and the success came after Kalpana had finished second to Calandagan in the race last year and seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe from a wide draw.
Balding: Kalpana was fitter and lighter
Andrew Balding said the difference this time was clear. “I’ve just felt she has been better this year,” he said, adding that “it was a struggle to get weight off her last year, but this year I felt she has trained leaner and lighter and I’ve been happier with her all along.”
He also felt the stronger preparation showed at the finish. “I don’t know what the difference is, but she is so much fitter this year and it told at the finish,” Balding said.
That is the key point here: this was not simply a good win, but a better horse delivering when it mattered most. Kalpana had the form already, but she looked more robust, more settled and more effective than she did when Calandagan beat her by a one-length deficit in the same race last year.
Colin Keane: a performance better than expected
Colin Keane, who rode the winner, was equally impressed. “She’s a very special mare, we thought she was coming here with a big chance,” he said.
He went even further when assessing how the race unfolded. “But saying that, realistically I thought if she was third it would be a massive run [so] it just shows how good she is,” Keane added.
That verdict underlines the quality of the performance. Ascot’s midsummer feature can expose any weakness, but Kalpana handled the occasion and the pressure of the race with authority, turning a competitive test into a clear statement.
What comes next for Kalpana?
After Saturday’s race, Balding made it clear that the future is still open. “Anything is possible moving forwards,” he said.
He pointed first to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October, but also refused to rule out the Yorkshire Oaks in August. “The Arc didn’t work out last year because of the draw and that is a danger again, but anything is possible and she’s thriving on her racing, so you couldn’t even rule out the Yorkshire Oaks,” Balding said. “She’s right at the top of her game.”
That gives Kalpana an obvious next question after Ascot: whether she is now ready to step back into the biggest middle-distance prizes. For now, the answer is yes — she has earned that place again.
