Andrew Balding and Colin Keane combined to land the feature race for the second day running at York’s Ebor Festival as Kalpana, the King George winner, bravely held the late challenge of the outsider Sparan Nua by a short-head in the Group One Yorkshire Oaks. Sugar Island, a 100-1 outsider, galloped into a 20-length lead in the early stages of the 12-furlong contest and was still a long way clear of her pursuers at the top of the home straight. Keane and Kalpana were first from the pack to challenge as Sugar Island’s stride began to shorten a quarter of a mile out and they hit the front just over a furlong from home, but the effort started to tell in the closing stages as Sparan Nua (25-1) and Rossa Ryan finished strongly.
Jim Bolger’s filly was in front a stride after the line, but a short-head shy where it mattered. Balding, Keane and the Juddmonte bloodstock operation took Tuesday’s International Stakes here with Item and now have another leading contender for the the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris in October. It’s not pretty, but she got the job done and that’s the main thing.” “We have the horse from yesterday [Item] too, so whether he’ll go to the Arc and we wait for [the Fillies & Mares Stakes at] Ascot with this filly … We have to sit down in a week or two and discuss all that, but it’s a nice problem to have.” Kalpana is top-priced at 10-1 for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, while Item can be backed at 14-1.
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