John Ingles rounds up the major changes to the Timeform ratings from the weekend, including a high-class renewal of the King George.
Kalpana becomes Timeform’s joint-best filly or mare this year
A boost in prize money for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes took the winner’s cheque over the million-pound mark and resulted in a field with strength in depth, seven of the nine being successful at Group 1 level, including the last two winners, as well as two Japanese runners, although the latter pair disappointed in a race that was run at an end-to-end gallop.
The first two home last year dominated again but in reverse order, warm favourite Calandagan this time finding the Andrew Balding-trained mare Kalpana (128 from 123) too good as she recorded a career-best effort. The only British-trained runner in the field, Kalpana has an excellent record at Ascot, twice winner of the Fillies’ & Mares’ Stakes and just touched off by Giavellotto in last month’s Hardwicke Stakes as well as runner-up in last year’s King George.
Sent for home later on this occasion as a result of being short of room turning into the straight, she quickly took control once in the clear and had a length and a half to spare at the line. She’s the second mare to win the King George in the Juddmonte colours after triple winner Enable and Kalpana’s new rating is on a par with Enable’s first two victories in the race. Among her contemporaries worldwide, she’s now the joint-highest filly or mare alongside Australia’s Autumn Glow who achieved her rating of 128 in the George Ryder Stakes in March when still unbeaten. The top-class Enable also won two Arcs, and Kalpana deserves another try at Longchamp, things not going her way when only seventh last year.
Good efforts from those in the frame
Calandagan (130 from 133) showed that he’s still one of the best around, running his best race of the year, having no real excuse on the day after briefly having every chance, though his trainer pointed out that the gap since his last race in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud was a week shorter than last year. He’s likely to follow an identical path to last year, having a break now with events at York next month likely to dictate who he faces in his bid to defend his Champion Stakes title in the autumn.
Benvenuto Cellini (124 from 124p) fared best of Aidan O’Brien’s four runners, running right up to his existing rating and confirming himself a very smart colt taking on his elders for the first time and he would have pushed Calandagan harder for second had he not come off a true line in the closing stages when lugging right. Whether he’d have the speed to drop back in trip is debatable, so he might not be the easiest to place in the short term and the Breeders’ Cup Turf might be his best chance of a top-level all-aged success.
Stablemate Lambourn (123 from 119) deserves a mention for completing the frame clear of the rest and leaving recent efforts well behind, running to a level on a par with last year’s Derby win in fact. Racing handily rather than leading, and hitting the front briefly in the straight, he looks worth another try at a longer trip and it’s interesting that he’s entered in the Lonsdale Cup at York as well as the Irish St Leger.
Balding and Juddmonte again in the York Stakes
It was an excellent day all round for Kalpana’s connections, also successful with Item (123p from 117p) who became the first three-year-old since the inaugural winner Best Alibi twenty years ago to win the York Stakes. All five runners had contested a Group 1 last time out, Item floundering on soft ground in the Derby, but over the same course and distance as his Dante success resumed his progress in decisive fashion, being the first to come under pressure but ultimately keeping on well to draw nearly three lengths clear and looking like proving better still given another chance at a mile and a half.
Last year’s Dante winner Pride of Arras (117 from 119) chased him home, stepping up markedly on his reappearance run when last behind Calandagan in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, but no match in the end for the winner having been sent forward in a race with no obvious front-runner. Third-placed Damysus (119 from 121) was a warm order in the betting stepping up from a mile and while things didn’t pan out ideally for him having been held up last, he hasn’t kicked on from his impressive return in the Earl of Sefton Stakes.
Hotazhell wins his second Group 1
The other notable contest of the weekend was the Grosser Dallymayr-Preis at Munich, a Group 1 prize which tends to go outside Germany more often than not. Anglo-Irish runners made up most of this year’s field and a thrilling finish was fought out by three of them, with victory going to Jessica Harrington’s Hotazhell (remains 117) who didn’t quite need to run to his best to win his first race since beating Delacroix in the Futurity Trophy at two.
Hotazhell was seen to much better effect from the front than the only previous time he’d made the running in last year’s Arc and produced a game response when tackled in the final furlong by Timeforshowcasing (110 from 105) who had pressed him throughout. Charlie Johnston’s filly, who had already won the German 1000 Guineas, bounced back from a lesser effort in the Coronation Stakes and, denied by just a nose, ran her best race over the extra two furlongs.
Wimbledon Hawkeye (remains 116) was only half a length back in third on his first start since leaving James Owen for George Scott (without the cheekpieces he usually wore for his previous yard), and did well in the circumstances, gaining on the first two all the way to the line in the final furlong after coming from much further back.
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