Kalpana wins the Yorkshire Oaks Gr.1

Thursday's Gr.1 Yorkshire Oaks promised to be a renewal for the ages and it delivered on that guarantee as three-time elite-level heroine Kalpana inched out the Jim Bolger-trained Sparan Nua in a thriller.

Taken from Thoroughbred Daily News, 21st August 2026

“You knew after going a couple of furlongs it was going to be messy and passing the three [furlong marker] I thought the pacemaker was gone,” said European Racing Manager, Barry Mahon. “Colin [Keane] had to commit probably a bit sooner than he wanted. He had to chase her down a little bit, so she was always going to be vulnerable to something closing late, but she's gutsy and knows where the line is. She put her head down and it wasn't pretty, but she got the job done and that's the main thing. Fast ground, slow ground, she's just very versatile and the ultimate pro now. She's fully matured now at five years of age and keeps answering all the questions, so it's wonderful.”

With Gr.1 Juddmonte International hero Item also in the mix for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Mahon spoke of future logistics. “We have the horse from yesterday, so whether he'll go to the Arc and we wait for Ascot [and the Gr.1 British Champions Fillies & Mares] with this filly, we have to sit down and discuss all that,” he added. “It's a nice problem to have. Item is definitely a top-of-the-ground horse and he got away with the good-to-soft here yesterday. Colin said this filly doesn't enjoy the softer ground as much as she did last year and felt she enjoyed the faster ground in Ascot more than she did today. I wouldn't have thought we'd run both in the Arc, but that will be the owners' decision. Ascot was always the target with this filly and it would make sense to sidestep the Arc if the ground is good, but that's a big 'if'. She probably will retire at the end of the year and whether she'll finish at Ascot, or whether she'll go to the Breeders' Cup, there's a lot of variables to work out.”