It's not unusual for fillies and mares to defeat males in Europe's biggest races, and some of them have used the 1 1/2-mile Yorkshire Oaks (G1) for females 3 years old and up as a launching point. Alpinisita did it in 2022, taking the Old World's autumn championship event, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), after winning the summer stakes at York.
Kalpana finished seventh in last year's Arc, and she's being pointed to for the big race at Longchamp on the first Sunday in October. She's the 6-5 early-line favorite in Thursday's $800,000 Yorkshire Oaks, whose first running was way back in 1849.
The Oaks is a Breeders' Cup “Win, and You're In” race that offers an automatic bid for the Filly & Mare Turf on Oct. 31 at Keeneland.
The 5-year-old mare Kalpana's last race was her career best, a 1 1/2-length win over French superstar Calandagan in the prestigious King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Stakes (G1) over 12 furlongs at Ascot. Her only off-the-board finish came in the Arc.
“She certainly ran the race of her life,” trainer Andrew Balding said of her last start. “I can't say we were expecting it to happen, but we were hoping. She's a very special mare, and Colin Keane did a beautiful job out there. It was a fabulous ride on a fabulous mare.”
The King George was Kalpana's third Group 1 victory, and it would be a surprise if she didn't make the Yorkshire Oaks her fourth. The second favorite at 7-2 is defending Oaks champion Minnie Hauk, who plodded in eighth in the King George, 17 3/4 lengths behind. Minnie Hauk, a three-time Group 1 winner last year, hasn't been the same horse since losing to Daryz by a head in last year's Arc.
After being ranked the world's best female at the end of last season, Minnie Hauk has lost four of her last five starts. She did run impressively when second to the outstanding Ombudsman on June 17 in the Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot and may have regressed in the King George off that stressful effort. She's much better than what she showed that day, but she's lost three in a row, so doubts linger.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien is hopeful that the pace will be quick. “She's a mile-and-a-half filly, really,” he said. “What she wants is an even, end-to-end gallop.”
The third favorite is Johanna Walsh (5-1), the Irish Oaks (G1) winner trained by Aidan's son Joseph. She dominated by four lengths for jockey Dylan Browne McMonagale, who said: “She is a very straightforward horse and is improving with every run. She has taken another big step forward.”
At 33, Joseph O'Brien, a former standout jockey, is a world-class trainer. Among his Group 1 and Grade 1 victories in his 11-year career are the Irish Derby, Irish St. Leger and two Melbourne Cups.
If Kalpana isn't at her best, Johanna Walsh could beat her. The Irish Oaks was only her fifth lifetime race and just her second win, so she has plenty of room for improvement. “She is a hugely exciting prospect for the future,” the younger O'Brien said. “She's a daughter of Sea the Stars with a big pedigree.”
Kalpana won't pay much more than even money if she wins, but she looks very tough. If you're looking for an underdog with upside, take a shot with Johanna Walsh, who looked like a rising star in her Irish Oaks. Minnie Hauk is world-class at her best, but can she recapture her brilliant form of last season?
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
