A second British Champions Fillies & Mares title for Kalpana

Kalpana bounced back to her best in imperious fashion and outsmarted her rivals for back-to-back renewals of Saturday's Gr.1 British Champions Fillies & Mares at Ascot.

Taken from the Thoroughbred Daily News, 19th October 2025, by Sean Cronin:

"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 so quick. She's a filly that thrives on her racing, so this is brilliant."

Ideally positioned in a stalking second for the most part and racing hard on the bridle straightening for home, the 11-8 favourite surged clear in style to settle the 12-furlong test in a matter of strides soon after passing the quarter-mile marker and stayed on powerfully once clear to easily defeat Estrange and Quisisana by two and a half lengths and three-quarters of a length.

"Kalpana has had a frustrating season, but looked right back to her best there," commented Andrew Balding. "Things haven't quite gone how we wanted them to this year, but that was a pretty good performance. It was a bit of a risk running her back quickly, but she seems to thrive on it. We had the full support of Barry Mahon and the Juddmonte team, which makes a big difference. When they're right behind you, which they invariably are, it makes life a lot easier. I thought that Colin [Keane] got her in the perfect position and I didn't have many anxious moments. We thought, if she was anywhere near her best, she had an outstanding chance and it was a strong performance."

Barry Mahon added: "This is massive. This is one of the biggest days of the year in British racing and to be here with a filly like that is amazing. The owners are here and it's nice to be able to take part. To have a winner is extra special. Kalpana is tough, but it didn't work out for her in the Arc. The owners are sportsmen and said roll the dice if Andrew is happy. He gave us the green light on Wednesday and thank God he did."