Kalpana ready to set up Champions Day outing with Kempton victory

Andrew Balding’s three-year-old filly has put together a smart CV since a debut victory at Wolverhampton in January, with impressive victories at Newmarket and in Listed company at Hamilton last time out featuring on her CV.

Holding an entry for the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on October 19, this is seen as the perfect place to prepare for a first taste of Group One action, taking on some experienced hands in this Group Three event.

“She’s in good shape and we just thought with half an eye on the fillies’ and mares’ race in Ascot on Champions Day, this might be a good prep run for that,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte.

“She obviously looked good in Hamilton the last day and this is a stepping-stone. If we get on well, we’ll look towards Ascot.”

One popular runner standing in Kalpana’s way is William Haggas’ eight-year-old Hamish, who despite his advancing years has won five times in the last two years and also finished a narrow second in Epsom’s Coronation Cup.

Owned by Haggas’ father, Brian, he has won 11 of his 21 career starts including this very contest in 2021, and the Somerville Lodge handler sees this as a nice opportunity to bounce back from an underwhelming showing at Newmarket in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes.

Haggas said: “I would prefer to be running him on the soft turf at Ascot, Salisbury or Newbury, but there wasn’t a race for him so we plumped for the all-weather with him and hopefully he will be all right on it. He could do with softer ground really, but hopefully he will be OK.

“It was a bit messy at Newmarket last time and they split into two groups and the two outsiders led him and then Tom (Marquand) realised about two furlongs up the straight he was in the wrong place. It just didn’t happen, it was a mistake.

“This is a good opportunity if he is at his best.”

However, it is the Gosden operation that has dominated this contest in recent years, with star performers Jack Hobbs (2015), Enable (2018 and 2020) and Mostahdaf (2022) all winning this prize for Clarehaven in the last 10 years.

It is Lion’s Pride and God’s Window representing the John and Thady Gosden training combination this time, with the former possessing some smart track form.

Another Kempton specialist is George Baker’s Cemhaan who carried top-weight to victory in the Rosebery Handicap in the spring and has won three times at the Sunbury venue.

Third in the Aston Park Stakes on turf this summer, he now returns to his beloved all-weather surface where he will reunite with jockey Neil Callan.

“He’s heading back to the scene of his brilliant Rosebery win in the spring and we go there in good order,” said Baker.

“Neil Callan is back on board and he gave him a peach that day. He is taking on the likes of Hamish and some other good horses and it is obviously very, very competitive. But we know the horse thrives at Kempton and he worked there nicely last week.

“We head there full of hope and hopefully he can shake up one or two of the big guns.”

Brian Ellison’s Northumberland Plate winner Onesmoothoperator and Hugo Palmer’s Under The Sun complete the line-up.