King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Results

This briefing summarises the key outcomes and performances from the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1) race, based on the provided results.

Race Overview:

• Race Name: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (Turf)
• Conditions: Good (Good To Firm In Places)
• Entrants: 3YO+ horses
• Distance: 1m 3f 211y
• Number of Runners: 5
• Winner’s Prize Money: £850,650
• Winning Time: 2 minutes, 29.74 seconds
• Time Index: 6.6/10 (Vs.Par: -0.98s faster than par)

Key Results & Analysis:

1. Winner: Calandagan (Horse #1, Draw 4)

• Age: 4 years old
• Weight (WGT): 9-9
• Starting Price (SP): 11/10f (Favourite)
• Race Description: “Held up in last, made headway over 2f out, shaken up and went second over 1f out, pressed leader inside final furlong, soon led, kept on well.”
• Finishing Speed %: 108.94% (Highest among all runners, indicating a strong finish relative to their average speed).
• Owner: Aga Khan Studs Scea
• Split Times: Calandagan showed remarkable acceleration in the final two furlongs, recording 11.16s for the 11th furlong (2nd fastest overall for that furlong) and 11.77s for the 12th furlong (fastest overall). This confirms the “kept on well” comment.

2. Second Place: Kalpana (Horse #5, Draw 5)

• Age: 4 years old
• Weight (WGT): 9-6
• Starting Price (SP): 15/2
• Race Description: “Raced in fourth, made smooth headway on outer over 2f out, soon shaken up to lead, went couple lengths clear over 1f out, much reduced lead inside final furlong, soon pressed and headed, no extra towards finish.”
• Finishing Speed %: 107.62%
• Owner: Juddmonte
• Margins: Finished 1 length behind Calandagan.
• Split Times: Kalpana took the lead around the 11th furlong (11.32s, fastest at that point) but was overtaken in the final furlong, as indicated by the “no extra towards finish” comment.

3. Third Place: Rebel’s Romance (Horse #4, Draw 1)

• Age: 7 years old
• Weight (WGT): 9-9
• Starting Price (SP): 5/1
• Race Description: “Wore hood to post, tracked leading pair on inner, going well when short of room over 2f out, ridden and outpaced over 1f out, went third well inside final furlong, ran on.”
• Finishing Speed %: 106.43%
• Owner: Godolphin
• Margins: Finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Calandagan.
• Note: The comment “short of room over 2f out” suggests a potential impediment to its earlier challenge.

4. Fourth Place: Jan Brueghel (Horse #3, Draw 2)

• Age: 4 years old
• Weight (WGT): 9-9
• Starting Price (SP): 5/2
• Race Description: “Sweating, took keen hold, led, shaken up over 3f out, edged left when ridden and headed over 2f out, soon outpaced, kept on same pace from over 1f out, lost third towards finish.”
• Finishing Speed %: 105.72%
• Margins: Finished a Neck behind Rebel’s Romance.
• Note: Jan Brueghel led for the majority of the race before being “headed over 2f out” and eventually “lost third towards finish,” indicating a struggle in the final stages.

5. Fifth Place: Continuous (Horse #2, Draw 3)

• Age: 5 years old
• Weight (WGT): 9-9
• Starting Price (SP): 40/1
• Race Description: “Took keen hold, close up, ridden along over 2f out, weakened quickly over 1f out.”
• Finishing Speed %: 101.03% (Significantly lower than others, confirming the “weakened quickly” comment).
• Margins: Finished 14 lengths behind Calandagan.

Betting Results (Tote):

• Win: 2.10
• Place: 1.25, 3.05
• Exacta: 7.70
• Trifecta: 15.00

Key Takeaways:

• Calandagan’s Dominant Finish: Despite being “held up in last” for much of the race, Calandagan demonstrated superior closing speed, as evidenced by its high Finishing Speed % and strong final furlong splits, to secure a decisive victory. Its favourite status was justified.
• Kalpana’s Fading Lead: Kalpana made a strong bid for the lead but could not sustain it against Calandagan’s late surge.
• Strategic Race Dynamics: The race saw an initial leader (Jan Brueghel) who couldn’t maintain the pace, a mid-race challenger (Kalpana) who briefly took the lead, and a come-from-behind winner (Calandagan), highlighting the importance of pacing and finishing power in this distance race.
• Course Conditions: The ground was “Good (Good To Firm In Places),” which might have contributed to the “very slow” time index compared to par, suggesting the track might have been slightly demanding.