Kalpana (GB)

Juddmonte's star distaffer Kalpana (Study Of Man), trapped wide and never really a factor in this month's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, bounced back to her best in imperious fashion and outsmarted her rivals for back-to-back renewals of Saturday's G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares at Ascot. "It was a great performance and she's been very consistent all year," said winning rider Colin Keane. "Things didn't go to plan in France and fair play to Andrew [Balding] and the team for making the call to bring her back...

Saturday's G1 Qipco Champion Stakes will feature all the big guns, with Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), Delacroix (Dubawi), Calandagan (Gleneagles) and Economics (Night Of Thunder) set for a memorable showdown. There will be 11 in the line-up for the feature, where the draw has not been kind to Ombudsman and Economics in nine and 10 respectively but has been to the race's most intriguing runner Almaqam (Lope De Vega) in stall one. There will be 16 lining up for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, with Juddmonte and the Gosdens'...

Considered by most to be mere understudy to Kalpana (Study Of Man) in Saturday's G3 September Stakes at Kempton, last year's Hong Kong Vase hero Giavellotto (Mastercraftsman) had other ideas as he registered a minor upset. Always comfortable tracking the pacemaker for Juddmonte's 1-2 market-leader, the 9-4 second favourite outstayed her under Oisin Murphy in the closing stages to score by 1 1/2 lengths. While Kalpana's Arc bid may have been derailed here, all roads lead back to Sha Tin for the winner according to Marco Botti. "He is still...

Aidan O'Brien will rely on the G1 Coronation Cup hero Jan Brueghel (Galileo) in Saturday's G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot after opting to withdraw the Derby and Irish Derby hero Lambourn (Australia) and the Pretty Polly winner Whirl (Wootton Bassett). Just five remain, with Ballydoyle's pacemaker Continuous (Heart's Cry) there to set up the rematch between his stablemate and The Aga Khan Studs Epsom runner-up Calandagan (Gleneagles), who has since captured the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Juddmonte's G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes heroine Kalpana...

As if Saturday's action at The Curragh hadn't already championed Cooomore's stratospheric Wootton Bassett, along came Whirl to hammer home the point in a thrilling renewal of the feature G1 Pretty Polly Stakes. Outgunning Juddmonte's accomplished Kalpana (Study Of Man) following a prolonged tussle between the elite mastercraftsmen Ryan Moore and Colin Keane, Ballydoyle's Oaks runner-up followed on where the stable's Dorset and Beautify had led earlier in the afternoon. Reminding the world that he remains a racing fan, Aidan O'Brien was quick to pay tribute to the actors involved...

Drawing on all his inherent toughness on Sunday, Ballydoyle's emerging middle-distance heavyweight Los Angeles defied Anmaat in a duel to the line in The Curragh's G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. Merely hinting at what was to come with his comeback G2 Mooresbridge Stakes win, last year's G1 Irish Derby hero sat three lengths off the demanding pace before taking over two out. Responding to Ryan Moore's call to ward off the Shadwell runner, having been headed inside the final furlong, the 9-4 favourite carved out a half-length advantage at the line...

Zero Gravity (GB) (Dansili {GB}), the dam of this year's G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), has been added to the Tattersalls December Mares Sale as a wildcard and will be offered as lot 1485A during the Sceptre Sessions on Monday, December 2. She will be offered in foal to Chaldean (GB) by Ed Player's Whatton Manor Stud, who also consigned her Too Darn Hot (GB) filly at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale where she was purchased by Shadwell...

Saturday's G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes looked there for the taking beforehand, with no standout performer in the line-up and in the end it came down to who was the most progressive. Step forward Juddmonte's Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}--Zero Gravity {GB}, by Dansili {GB}), who had made a significant advance last time in the G3 September Stakes and who successfully carried that momentum into this mile-and-a-half test, a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf next month. Tracking the...

Ascot's Qipco British Champions Day took its final shape on Thursday morning, with the middle-distance heavyweights Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) heading a 12-strong cast for Saturday's £1.3-million G1 Qipco Champion Stakes. Isa Salman Al Khalifa's G1 Irish Champion Stakes winner and The Aga Khan's G1 Juddmonte International runner-up are joined by the G1 Irish Derby third Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), one of two for Ballydoyle, and another French raider in Iresine (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) who gives to provide Marie Velon with a...

Following Monday's confirmation stage, 17 horses remain in contention for Saturday's G1 QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot, including the top-class three-year-olds Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and Calandagan (Ire) in what has the makings of a blockbuster clash. Trained by William Haggas, Economics is unbeaten in four starts this season, culminating with a first Group 1 victory in last month's Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, while French challenger Calandagan confirmed himself a major force to be reckoned with when filling the runner-up spot behind the outstanding City Of Troy (Justify)...

A total of 151 horses remain in the five QIPCO British Champions Day races after the second entry stage, the highest number in the past six years. The event will be staged at Ascot on Saturday, Oct. 19. The G1 QIPCO Champion Stakes sees G1 Irish Champion Stakes hero Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) square off with Franci-Henri Graffard's G1 International Stakes runner-up Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), and Jean-Pierre Gauvin's Iresine (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}). Joseph O'Brien's Group 1 winner Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) remains in the entries,...

Securing the outright record of Royal Ascot winners, Ryan Moore was at his determined best to win a war of attrition on Ballydoyle's Port Fairy (Ire) (Australia {GB}--Fabulae {Ire}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes. Not seen since finishing runner-up in the Listed Cheshire Oaks last month, the product of the Whisperview breeding operation was the pick of Moore of the stable pair and was prominently-placed from the outset. Temporarily swamped two out by the smooth-travelling Lava Stream (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), the 12-1 shot stayed...