Kalpana proved much the best when landing the 2024 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot.
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Ridden by William Buick and trained by Andrew Balding, Kalpana was ridden patiently as the 10-3 favourite and kept handy as the turn for home approached.
In the straight she began to accelerate and was well able to pull clear of her 13 rivals, prevailing comfortably by two lengths from Aidan O’Brien’s Wingspan. Tiffany finished three lengths further behind in third.
Kalpana only made her racecourse bow in January and after a wide-margin handicap win at Newmarket in April, she was sent off an odds-on favourite for the Pretty Polly Stakes but had to give best to subsequent Group One scorer Friendly Soul.
Wins in a Hamilton Listed heat and the Group Three September Stakes last time got her season back on track and Balding is keen to carry on next term with this Group One under her belt.
He said: “She’s a wonderful filly and he gave her a perfect ride. It was a hell of a race back in May for the Pretty Polly, we were disappointed when she was beaten by Friendly Soul but she’s gone and won the Prix de l’Opera.
“I don’t think she’d even done any fast work at this time last year, so it’s been a pretty steep trajectory from Wolverhampton to here.
“I very much hope (she’ll stay in training) - that was the plan anyway unless something has changed tonight!“
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