King George heroine Kalpana in the mix for Yorkshire Oaks

Andrew Balding and Juddmonte are planning a two-pronged assault with their biggest names at York later this month, with Kalpana and Item both in line for an outing at the Ebor Festival.

Having been kept in training at five, Kalpana has stepped up to become a flag-bearer for the Abdullah family’s racing operation this season and fresh from a third Group One triumph when landing the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, is poised to take her place in the Legends Global Yorkshire Oaks.

Barry Mahon, Juddmonte’s European racing manager, said: “Kalpana came out of Ascot well and the plan is to look at the Yorkshire Oaks with her and if Andrew is happy with her in the week leading up to it, that is where she will go.

“She seems to have matured and sometimes when they mature they adapt to handling better ground. I think at Royal Ascot and the last day in the King George she showed she doesn’t have any aversion to quicker ground, so that makes it easier to back her up into these races.

“It was a big call to keep her in training having won two Group Ones and it would have been very easy to retire her, but the owners were adamant they wanted to see her again back on the track and she has vindicated that decision, both at Royal Ascot and in the King George.

“If she could clinch another big one before the season is out that would be wonderful.”

While Kalpana was scorching clear of Calandagan for her finest hour at Ascot, it was on the Knavesmire itself where Dante winner Item continued his blossoming York love affair, bouncing back from Derby disappointment in the Sky Bet York Stakes to book his ticket to a red-hot Juddmonte International Stakes.

Connections are well aware of the task at hand, with the son of Frankel set to meet the likes of defending champion Ombudsman and the leading name of his own generation in Constitution River.

However, they are keen to see how the lightly-raced colt fares against the cream of the middle-distance division over a course and distance that he is now a dual scorer.

Mahon continued: “Item obviously enjoys York and he’s been there twice this year and won both times.

“I thought it was a very good performance the last day, they went slow and it was a very deep field with some good older horses in it.

“We had to carry a penalty in it so to do what he did was great and I think he will get a little bit further but feel like he’s earned his crack at a big one again in the Juddmonte International.

“It’s going to be an unbelievably strong renewal of it, but he’s a dual Group Two winner now and this looks the next logical step.”