Last Saturday’s (25 July) G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2392m) once again demonstrated why it remains one of the defining contests of the European Flat season. A year on from finding only CALANDAGAN too strong, KALPANA returned to Ascot to produce the performance of her career, striking the front inside the final 400 metres and powering clear to beat her old rival by a length and a half under a superb ride from Colin Keane to claim Britain’s premier all-aged middle-distance prize.
It was a landmark victory for trainer Andrew Balding, whose first King George success came 55 years after his father, Ian, won the same race with the legendary MILL REEF. It was also richly deserved for KALPANA, who had already established herself among Europe’s elite fillies and mares before confirming her class against an outstanding international field.
The enhanced £2 million prize fund undoubtedly helped attract a world-class line-up, with seven Group 1 winners from four countries taking their chance. In an increasingly competitive global racing landscape, the world’s great races must continue to evolve while preserving the traditions that have made them so special. The quality on show speaks to the enduring pull of a race that has previously been won by NIJINSKY, SHERGAR and BRIGADIER GERARD, and now adds KALPANA’s name to that illustrious roll. It is exactly the kind of investment and ambition that keeps a race relevant among the very best in the world. Last Saturday’s King George achieved exactly that, producing a race worthy of its remarkable heritage and one that captivated fans around the world.
Before looking ahead to another outstanding week of international racing, I would also like to congratulate one of Hong Kong’s leading jockeys, Lyle Hewitson, who celebrated Group 1 success on home soil in South Africa on Sunday. Lyle partnered the exciting two-year-old ERIK DUBOIS to victory in the G1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes (1600m) at Greyville, providing trainer Louis Goosen with the first Group 1 triumph of his career. It is always pleasing to see Hong Kong’s jockeys enjoying success wherever they compete, and I extend my congratulations to Lyle and all of the winning connections.
From Ascot, attention swings to the rolling South Downs for Glorious Goodwood, a fixture that has occupied a treasured place in the British summer since flat racing first took place on the estate in 1802. Its “Glorious” tag, earned during the Victorian era, still feels entirely apt: few tracks anywhere combine such sweeping natural beauty with such tactically searching racing, the course’s tight turns and undulations asking real questions of horse and jockey alike, making success here especially rewarding.
The first four days of the Festival all feature World Pool races, bringing together racing fans across the globe to enjoy one of the sport’s great summer meetings.
Today’s (28 July) feature is the G1 Goodwood Cup (3212m), carded as S1-4 at 10.35pm (Hong Kong time). First run in 1808, the Goodwood Cup has long been one of Europe’s most prestigious staying contests and continues to attract the very best horses over extended distances.
Defending champion SCANDINAVIA (Ryan Moore) arrives after a pulsating victory in the G1 Gold Cup (3991m) at Ascot and deserves his place at the head of the market. Unbeaten in six starts, Aidan O’Brien’s brilliant stayer has developed into the benchmark for the division, combining abundant stamina with an impressive turn of foot. While several talented rivals will test him, I expect Aidan’s charge to successfully defend his crown and further strengthen his position as Europe’s leading staying horse. However, veteran eight-year-old TRAWLERMAN (William Buick) is also a multiple Group 1 winner and was beaten only a head by the younger horse in the Gold Cup last month, ending a sequence of four consecutive victories. The shorter trip here could bring him even closer.
Wednesday’s (29 July) G1 Sussex Stakes (1611m) has rarely looked stronger, now boasting a record £1.5 million purse as Europe’s richest mile race. BOW ECHO (Billy Loughnane) arrives unbeaten, having already accounted for Aidan’s GSTAAD twice this season, first in the G1 2,000 Guineas (1600m) and again in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes (1600m) at Royal Ascot. George Boughey’s colt now steps up to face seasoned Group 1 operators, including Godolphin’s OPERA BALLO (William Buick), for the first time, but a talent of his calibre, with more still expected to come according to his trainer, looks the one to beat in a fascinating third instalment of his rivalry with GSTAAD.
The G1 Nassau Stakes (1985m) rounds out the opening three days on Thursday (30 July). The premier midsummer championship for fillies and mares often helps identify horses capable of making their mark later in the season at the highest level.
Aidan again holds a strong hand through the unbeaten DIAMOND NECKLACE, an impressive winner of the G1 French 1,000 Guineas (1600m) and G1 Prix de Diane (2100m) who bids to make it three Nassau victories in a row for her trainer. She takes on the older fillies and mares for the first time, and Andrew Balding’s SEE THE FIRE (Oisin Murphy), agonisingly placed second and third in this race across the last two renewals, looks the obvious danger. DIAMOND NECKLACE gets the nod from me, although I would not be at all surprised to see Andrew’s mare finally land the prize after going so close in the last two runnings.
Source: Hong Kong Jockey Club