Coronation Cup Principals Headline Stellar King George Confirmations

[Wandering Eyes]

French ace Calandagan (Gleneagles), G1 Coronation Cup winner Jan Brueghel (Galileo), globetrotter Rebel's Romance (Dubawi) and star filly Kalpana (Study Of Man) headline the confirmations for Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

Worth a record £1.5m in 2025, the King George is Britain's richest all-aged contest and the most valuable race ever run at Ascot. Francis-Henri Graffard is chasing back-to-back victories following Goliath's surprise win in 2024. This year the trainer will be represented by Calandagan, who gained a deserved Group 1 success in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last time, a victory that ended a run of four consecutive seconds at the highest level.

Jan Brueghel, winner of last season's G1 St Leger, had Calandagan's measure when the pair clashed in the G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom. Conduit in 2009 is the most recent St Leger victor to follow up in the King George. Aidan O'Brien reported on Saturday that Jan Brueghel and 2023 St Leger winner Continuous (Heart's Cry) were the most likely runners in the race from Ballydoyle, although dual Derby hero Lambourn (Australia) and G1 Pretty Polly Stakes scorer Whirl (Wootton Bassett) both stood their ground at Monday's confirmation stage.

Seven-year-old Rebel's Romance would become the oldest winner of the King George, supplanting Swain, Enable and Hukum who all won the race at the age of six. Charlie Appleby's stalwart, the winner of 18 races around the world, will look to add a first domestic Group 1 to his glittering CV.

Meanwhile, Kalpana is set to return to the scene of her biggest victory, with Andrew Balding's filly having ended 2024 with a dominant success in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes. The Juddmonte homebred was last seen filling the runner-up spot behind Whirl in the Pretty Polly at the Curragh.

Barry Mahon, Juddmonte's European racing manager, said, “Kalpana is all systems go for the King George. This has been her intended target since her last run in Ireland and she is in good shape.

“I think her two runs this year have been very solid. We know she is proven over a mile and a half on soft ground, so for her to produce those performances over 10 furlongs on quicker ground is very promising.

“We would be hopeful of a strong showing on Saturday back over 12 furlongs, for all it looks a competitive race. Calandagan is a top-class horse and we all saw what Jan Brueghel did at Epsom. I don't know if Lambourn will line up as well but a Derby winner always commands respect.”

The Jessica Harrington-trained Green Impact (Wootton Bassett), who was sixth in the G1 Irish Derby on his most recent outing, completes the eight confirmations.

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