Libertango Lands Lowther as Kalpana Rules the Yorkshire Oaks on Ebor Day Two
Libertango, already a Royal Ascot winner this season, added the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes to her record at York on 20 August 2026, beating the well-backed favourite Star Of State in the six-furlong Group Two for two-year-old fillies.
Star Of State, trained by Joseph O'Brien, was sent off the market leader at 2-1 after shortening from 5-2, but could not get past Libertango, who had previously won the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot before finishing runner-up in the Group Two Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket. Wild Blossom, trained by Karl Burke and ridden by James Doyle, was among the leading contenders but could not trouble the front two (The Guardian).
The Lowther, run over six furlongs (about three-quarters of a mile) at 1.50pm, is one of the premier juvenile fillies' races of the season. A Group Two contest sits just below the top tier of classification, but for two-year-olds in August it is a serious staging post — a horse who runs well here is often pointed toward the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket in the autumn.
The feature race of the afternoon, however, was the Legends Global Yorkshire Oaks, a Group One for fillies and mares worth £600,000 in total prize money, with £340,260 to the winner (Racing TV). Nine runners lined up at 3.35pm.
Kalpana, who had already won the King George at Ascot — one of the season's most prestigious middle-distance races — headed the field and delivered, landing the Yorkshire Oaks to cement her standing as the outstanding filly of her generation (Racing TV). The race drew a deep field: Johanna Walsh, a three-year-old who had won the Irish Oaks at the Curragh by four lengths on her previous start, and Legacy Link, winner of York's own Musidora Stakes in May, were among the contenders. Minnie Hauk, who had won this race in 2025, was the defending champion (The Guardian).
The Yorkshire Oaks has a rich roll of honour. Enable, one of the great fillies of recent decades, won it twice during her career (York Racecourse).
Day two of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival — three days of top-class flat racing staged at York, which hosts eighteen racedays across 2026 — also carried the Ladies Day tag. The meeting continues on Friday with the Coolmore Nunthorpe, a five-furlong Group One sprint, before Saturday's Ebor Handicap, the historic race that gives the festival its name (York Racecourse).
For Libertango, the Lowther confirms a two-year-old season of real distinction. For Kalpana, the Yorkshire Oaks adds another Group One to a résumé that already includes a King George. The autumn's major targets now come into view for both.
