STAR PREVIEW: Ascot Champions Day

This flat season has been one of many memories, even if the majority of them have been made by two men in the shape of Frankie Dettori and John Gosden. They have plenty of chances on a Champions Day card that promises to be a test in more ways than one given the huge amount of rain the country’s seen.

We’ve got three races on the straight course that take place on the heaviest ground recorded by Chris Stickles – a man who’s seen more race days at Ascot than you could count – and three of the Champions Day Contests will take place on a round track that has never been used for Flat racing. The round course (which will use the jumps course) is said to be good to soft, soft in places, with the soft at Swinley Bottom over three furlongs. Long story short, this could be a testing day.

1:35 – 6f QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3yo+): Sands Of Malispring a shock at this meeting last year when taking this race on soft ground and whilst he’s not been in the best of form, he reportedly had a physical problem through the summer. He’s won fresh before and clearly goes well here, and if back to peak form is overpriced at 12/1. Double up with Hello Youmzain,who was a good winner of the Sprint Cup on soft ground (2-2 on soft ground) and who might not have peaked yet. One Master, a two time Foret winner, is the main threat along with Advertise and The Tin Man.

2:10 -1m7½f (1m7f127y) (Inner) QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2) (Class 1) (3yo+): Stradivarius should once again prove to be too strong and nothing appeals against him. The 4/7 on him winning is the right price and whilst Kew Gardens is an interesting contender for him, he can still prove too strong. Mekong, on his best form, is an interesting outsider but this is a watching brief.

2.45 – 1m3½f (1m3f133y) (Inner) QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3yo+): This is a quick turnaround forAnapurna but she showed a tremendous attitude to take the Royalieu at Longchamp and she has the class and stamina not to give Star Catcher free rein on the front end.The Oaks winner should be even better back at this trip and if she’s over her Longchamp efforts, should be closer in the market to Irish Oaks winner Star Catcher. Antonia De Vega will be a major player if she repeats her Abdingdon Stakes performance, her sole run as a three-year-old, but Tarnawa and Fleeting have to be on the longlist as well.

3.20 – 1m (Str) Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1) (Sponsored By QIPCO) (British Champions Mile) (Class 1) (3yo+):This is a step up in class for The Revenantbut he handles heavy ground and looked like a horse ready to step up to this level when he smashed the opposition in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein at Longchamp. He earned an official rating of 120 for that and doesn’t have a question mark over the ground like Magna Grecia & Benbatl or over his consistency like Lord Glitters, as good as this year’s Queen Anne winner can be on his day.

King Of Comedy and King of Change could still be improving but most interesting of those at bigger prices was Century Dream,who was a close third in this contest last year and ran well in Meydan twice before he was below par in the Dubai Turf. As one of the few who shouldn’t worry about the ground, he’s interesting.

4.00 1m2f (Inner) QIPCO Champion Stakes (British Champions Middle Distance) (Group 1) (Class 1) (3yo+): It would be no surprise if Magical proved to be too good once again but she had a particularly hard race in the Arc when following a very strong pace too closely and that could leave her vulnerable here. Coronet, a dual Group 1 winner now after taking the Grand Prix De-Saint Cloud and the Prix Jean-Romanet on her last two starts, is also worthy of plenty of respect but he choice of the front three might well be Addeybb.You would struggle to find a more impressive performance in this field than his win in the Wolferton at the Royal Meeting when he beat solid group contenders silly and there’s little shame in his defeat to Elarqam at York in July.

Deirdre, who should have gotten closer to Magical in the Irish Champion Stakes, would be the pick if it it hadn’t been for the surface – on good ground she’s never a 7/1 shot but this could be too slow for her – and the ground counts against Regal Reality too.

Mehdaayih was disappointing two weeks ago at Longchamp on her first run on worse than good to soft, but she never relaxed there on her first run since the Nassau and it’s entirely possible that was the reason for her blowout

Pondus and I Can Fly don’t look good enough here and Fox Tal is a more interesting prospect, although he’s also making his soft ground debut.

4.40 – 1m (Str) Balmoral Handicap (Sponsored By QIPCO) (Class 2) (3yo+): There has been a tremendous gamble on the lightly raced Amedeo Modigliani and the deeply impressive Cambridgeshire winner Lord North, both of whom dominate the market a bit, but as with any renewal there are a whole host of chances. Both they and the extraordinarily consistent Kynren can be given big chances, but plenty make appeal in this field and it is a surprise to see Escobarwell into double figures. A 33/1 second in this last year when he was long odds on in running, his only effort out of the top four since July was in the Strensall Stakes and he might well have given Kynren something to think about over a mile in the Challenge Cup, having finished fastest last time here, and we know he goes on soft ground after that.

Mitchum Swaggerhasn’t really hit his best form this year but Ralph Beckett’s seven-year-old didn’t run too badly when third in the Guisbrough Stakes on his first run for a 108 days on heavy ground. He has more than a few bits and pieces of soft ground form.

RECOMMENDED BETS (scale of 1-100 points)

1:35 6f QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3yo+)
BACK Sands Of Mali 1 pt each/way at 11/1 with starsports.bet
BACK Hello Youmzain 2 pts win at 11/2 with starsports.bet

2:45 – 1m3½f (1m3f133y) (Inner) Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3yo+)
BACK Anapurna 2 pts win at 9/2 with starsports.bet

3:20 – 1m (Str) Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1) (Sponsored By QIPCO) (British Champions Mile) (Class 1) (3yo+)
BACK The Revenant 2 pts win at 10/3 with starsports.bet
BACK Century Dream 1 pt each/way at 14/1 with starsports.bet

4.00 – QIPCO Champion Stakes (British Champions Middle Distance) (Group 1) (Class 1) (3yo+)
BACK Addeybb 2 pts win at 11/2 with starsports.bet

4.40 – 1m (Str) Balmoral Handicap (Sponsored By Qipco) (Class 2) (3yo+)
BACK Escobar 1 pt each/way at 14/1 with starsports.bet
BACK Mitchum Swagger 1 pt each/way at 20/1 with starsports.bet

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