Top British challenger to wear headgear for major £4.1 million Arc assignment

Top British challenger Kalpana will wear headgear for the first time when she lines up in the £4.1 million Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The Andrew Balding-trained filly represents the same Juddmonte owners who struck gold with Bluestocking in the French capital 12 months ago.

Hopes have been high Kalpana could follow suit ever since her brilliant win on British Champions Day last season. The four-year-old has been amongst the favourites for Europe’s most prestigious middle-distance prize since the onset of the current campaign and although failing to find the scoresheet this term, she remains as short as 10-1 following a sequence of admirable runs in defeat.

However, after being unable to crack Marco Botti’s Giavellotto at Kempton in the September Stakes – a race Juddmonte’s dual Arc heroine Enable used to tee up victory on the Bois de Boulogne in 2018 – connections have reached for headgear in an attempt to spark a first victory of the year on the day it matters most.

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“If she can break her duck for the year in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe then we would be very happy,” said Barry Mahon, Juddmonte’s European racing manager. “She’s going to wear a pair of cheekpieces for the first time which we have popped on her at home and have reignited her a little bit.

“She’s a year older and a year wiser and Andrew just felt she had gone a little bit idle at home but we popped them on her and they seem to have done the job and hopefully will help on Sunday as well.”

As well as the application of cheekpieces, Kalpana’s claims have also been buoyed by a welcome change in the forecast, with rain now due to hit the French capital in the lead up to Sunday’s main event.

It could prove the final ingredient that sees the stars align in time for the daughter of Study Of Man to compete for France’s richest race in both optimum conditions and in the best possible shape.

“There’s so many different forecasts out there, but I’m told there’s some rain on Friday and Saturday, so we’re hopeful that will hit,” continued Mahon.

“To be fair to the filly she has good form on every sort of ground from good to firm to heavy. But we have always felt her best form was with some juice in the ground and hopefully she will get that on Sunday.”

He went on: “It would be magical if we could win it again, but these races are hard run and you need a good draw and a good trip and you have to be good enough. There’s a lot that could go wrong but if we get some luck and everything goes smoothly then hopefully she can be really competitive.”