Kalpana stuns King George contenders as Qatar Goodwood Festival takes centre stage this week
From a thrilling upset in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes to Group 1 action across Germany, South Africa and the USA, another memorable weekend showcased the global appeal of elite thoroughbred racing. 🌎
This week's World Horse Racing Newsletter rounds up the biggest stories, including:
• Kalpana's brilliant King George victory at Ascot
• Hotazhell's return to winning ways in Germany
• Eight On Eighteen's third Group 1 success in South Africa
• Counting Stars' dominant Coaching Club American Oaks win at Saratoga
• Gold Phoenix makes more Del Mar history
Plus, we look ahead to another outstanding week of international racing, with the Qatar Goodwood Festival, Arlington Million and Prix Rothschild all on the horizon. ➡️
What’s Happened
🇩🇪 Germany 🇩🇪
2024 G1 Futurity Stakes winner Hotazhell collected his first win since when holding on by a nose in the G1 Grosser Dallmayr Preis at Munich on Sunday. The Jessica Harrington trainee, ridden by Shane Foley, just got to the line ahead of the filly Timeforshowcasing.
🇿🇦 South Africa 🇿🇦
Greyville staged three G1s on Sunday, the highlight of which was the HKJC-sponsored G1 Champions Cup. It was won by Eight On Eighteen, his third G1 success. Ridden by Richard Fourie for trainer Justin Snaith, he beat stablemate See It Again by a length.
Hong Kong -based jockey Lyle Hewitson is making the most of the off season. He returned to his homeland to win the G1 Champion Stakes on Erik Dubois. It was an emotional moment for trainer Louis Goosen, for whom it was a first top-level win in 35 years of training.
Buffalo Storm Cody repeated his 2025 win in the G1 Mercury Sprint, justifying favouritism under Gavin Lerena for a length victory for trainer Tony Peter.
🇬🇧 UK 🇬🇧
It was billed as a King George for the ages, with defending champion Calandagan facing Masquerade Ball – who he beat in the Japan Cup, as well as 2025 Derby winner Lambourn and star filly Minnie Hauk. However, it was Kalpana, the only British runner in the field of nine, who got first run. Ridden by Colin Keane, Andrew Balding’s filly powered home by a length and a half from Calandagan for her third G1 success.
Earlier, Balding’s Moonrise earned entry to the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf with a win in the G3 Princess Margaret Stakes under Oisin Murphy, while the highlight of Jane Chapple-Hyam’s training double was Kon Tiki’s win in the G3 Valiant Stakes.
It was a great day all over the country for the Balding team, who also won the G2 York Stakes at York with Item. The Dante winner, who flopped on soft ground in the Derby, bounced back for a two and three-quarter length win over Pride Of Arras.
🇺🇸 USA 🇺🇸
Saratoga’s G1 Coaching Club American Oaks was a rematch between G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Always A Runner and G1 Acorn Stakes heroine Counting Stars. The battle materialised with the pair turning for home together, before Mark Casse’s Counting Stars powered away and won by four and a quarter lengths. It was win number five on the card for Irad Ortiz, who went on to win six – a new Saratoga record.
Another of Ortiz’s victories came on Built, who took the G2 Alfred Vanderbilt Stakes for trainer Wayne Catalano. It was a first Graded Stakes win at the 14th attempt for the four-year-old.
On Sunday. Maryland-based trainer Brittany Russell shipped in Maida to take the G2 Honorable Miss Stakes, going gate to wire in the hands of the trainer’s husband Sheldon Russell.
In the California sprinting ranks, Listenupshance now has a Breeders’ Cup spot after his nose win in the G1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar on Saturday. Doug O’Neill’s gelding beat Maximum Bourbon by a nose in the hands of Emisael Jaramillo, for whom it was a first top-level win in the USA.
On Sunday, the wonderful eight-year-old Gold Phoenix scored a record sixth Stakes win at Del Mar when coming from last to first in the G2 Eddie Read. Phil D’Amato’s gelding, who also won this race in 2023, will now aim for a fifth win in the G2 Del Mar Handicap at the end of the meet.
What’s Happening
🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇦
The G3 Seagram Cup is the feature at Woodbine on Saturday.
🇫🇷 France 🇫🇷
The G1 Prix Rothschild is the feature at Deauville, with G1 1000 Guineas winner True Love among the entries. Three G3, the Prix de Cabourg, Prix de Pysche and Prix Six Perfections, support the main event.
🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇪
The seven-day Galway Festival gets underway today, with Wednesday’s Galway Plate the official feature of a popular week in the Emerald Isle.
🇯🇵 Japan 🇯🇵
The JRA hosts two Graded Stakes on Sunday. The G3 Hokkaido Shimbun Hai Queen Stakes takes place at Sapporo, while the G3 Ibis Summer Dash is at Niigata.
🇬🇧 UK 🇬🇧
The Qatar Goodwood Festival gets underway on Tuesday, with three G1s spread across the five days.
First up is an Ascot Gold Cup rematch between Scandinavia and Trawlerman in the G1 Goodwood Cup on Tuesday, before Bow Echo and Gstaad face each other for a third time in Wednesday’s G1 Sussex Stakes.
On Thursday, the fillies line up in a Nassau Stakes headlined by the unbeaten Diamond Necklace, before Aussie sprinting star Asfoora has her final run in Friday’s G2 King George Stakes.
🇺🇸 USA 🇺🇸
Defending champion Fort Washington faces seven rivals in the G1 Arlington Million at Colonial Downs on Saturday. A stacked card at the Virginia track also includes the G2 Beverly D, for fillies, and the G2 Secretariat Stakes for three-year-olds.
At Del Mar, a likely field of nine goes forward for the G1 Clement L. Hirsch on Saturday, while Saratoga stages the G2 Jim Dandy, the main local prep for the Travers Stakes, the G2 Saratoga Special and the G3 Lake George. Renegade, second in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Belmont, will be well-fancied in the former.
