Kalpana turned the tables on last year's winner Calandagan in the renewal of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

In last year's running of the race, Kalpana chased down the Francis-Henri Grafford trained Calandagan, but this time it was the turn of the Andrew Balding-trained five-year-old to take the honours in front of another large Ascot crowd.

Billed as potentially the race of the year, it certainly delivered. Nine went to post in what was surely the greatest ever line up for the race.

The field included the runner-up in last year’s Japan Cup Masquerade Ball, last year’s Derby and Irish winner Lambourn, Minnie Hauk who took the Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks 12 months ago and Benvenuto Cellini who took the Irish Derby at the Curragh.

Kalpana struck the front inside the final two furlongs with Calandagan hunting her down, but unlike last year, there was never a stage where the highest-rated horse from 2025 truly looked like he was about to reel the leader in.

Fifty-five years after his father Ian had achieved the same feat with Mill Reef, an emotional Andrew was taking in the moment.

Earlier in the day Balding had saddled Moonrise to victory in the Princess Margaret Japan Cup Stakes with Oisin Murphy aboard.

It was a day to remember for another racing family, the Osbornes. Dad Jamie bagged a double, but the afternoon belonged to his daughter Saffie who rode a treble on the card.

Amazing Journey started the ball rolling after going up in trip and off bottom weight to take the Class Two seven furlongs handicap for Jamie.

Saffi then steered Primo Lara to victory by a length-and-a-half for trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam before making it three on the day by landing the Betfred Class Two handicap for dad Jamie by half a length to bring up her 49th winner of the campaign.

In a day of doubles, Chapple-Hyam landed her second winner of the afternoon after Kon Tiki landed the Valiant Stakes under Ryan Moore.

By Peter Moore