QIPCO British Champions Day is a feast of racing
Five outstanding Group races and a large-field handicap comprise today's stunning QIPCO British Champions Day card at Ascot.
Saving the best until last it is the finale of the European racing season, and has attracted some stellar racehorses and world-class jockeys from Britain, France and Ireland. All six races will be shown live on Channel 4 Racing and Racing UK, but tickets for the Queen Anne Enclosure, at £34 each, were still available yesterday children are admitted free. Visit www.ascot.co.uk to check out ticket availability.
Ascot, one of the world's finest sporting venues, is worth visiting purely for the atmosphere and occasion, but there are plenty of things to do for all the family, and post-racing entertainment will include sets by DJs Sara Cox and Sigala not to be missed. In addition, Jim Crowley will step forward and receive a trophy as Britain's champion jockey, the first time he has won the award, and a brilliant effort by a man who once plied his trade in Jumps racing.
On the racecourse the stars will be out in force, including Qatar Racing's Classic-winning filly Simple Verse, trained by Ralph Beckett and a leading contender for the opening race, the Gr.2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (13.25), in which she faces nine rivals. On form they are headed by Order of St George, a course winner who landed the Gold Cup at the Royal Meeting, and was recently third in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Last year's winner Forgotten Rules returns to attempt back-to-back wins, while Quest For More won the Gr.1 Qatar Prix du Cadran at Chantilly recently. Doncaster Cup winner Sheikhzayedroad is another to note.
Fourteen horses are set to line up in the Gr.1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (14.00) which brims with fast talent. The filly Quiet Reflection and mare Mecca's Angel should make their male rivals burn in the final furlong, but the likes of Shalaa, The Tin Man and Twilight Son are all Group One performers, and Librisa Breeze has shown rapid acceleration in lower-grade races and cannot be dismissed.
Irish Oaks winner Seventh Heaven commands respect in the 13-runner Gr.1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies' and Mares' Stakes (14.35), but Speedy Boarding won the Gr.1 Prix de l'Opera recently and will be no pushover, and while Zhukova steps up in grade she is three from three this year.
Qatar Racing's second runner of the day (both will be ridden by Oisin Murphy) is the David Simcock-trained Lightning Spear, one of 13 bidding to land the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) (15.10). He landed Goodwood's Gr.2 Celebration Mile on his latest start, but has yet to win a Group One race. Simcock retains belief in the horse's ability to achieve that goal, and his third to Tepin in the Gr.1 Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal Meeting was a superb effort he clearly likes Ascot.
Classic winners Galileo Gold (QIPCO 2,000 Guineas), Awtaad (Irish 2,000 Guineas), supplementary entry Jet Setting (Irish 1,000 Guineas) and Minding (Oaks) are Classic winners this year, while Ribchester took the Gr.1 Prix Jacques Le Marois on his latest start.
On the basis of having won the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe two weeks ago, Found deserves to be regarded as the queen of the show, and she adds an aura of stardom to the Gr.1 QIPCO British Champions Stakes (15.45). However, she was beaten in this race last year when second to Fascinating Rock, and he lines up again. They could run to their peak and still be beaten by Almanzor, who headed Found when they were first and second in last month's Irish Champion Stakes.
The valuable 23-runner Balmoral Handicap (16.25) completes the card and with luck that race and all the others will be run in dry conditions. Rain spreading up from the south is set to reach Ascot, but probably not until the early evening.
Qatar Racing's 8 to Follow competition which raises money for the charity Racing Welfare and presents prize money from £10,000 to £500 for the top five finishers will be completed today. David Jewers, with 320pts, has led the competition for some months, but he will be cruelly knocked out of the top five if Lightning Spear wins (a Group One victory is worth 80pts). He does not have that horse in his stable, but rivals below him do, and like him they also have Simple Verse in their stables. If she wins or is placed, and Lightning Spear fails to reach the top three places, there will be no change in the current positions Colin Dewynter and Beck Styles would be level on points, but he would take the fourth spot for having two more winners than his rival.
If Lightning Spear finishes second, which is worth 20pts, second-placed Dhgdale Family will go level on points at the top, and because their horses have won seven races this year, compared to four for Jewers, they would take the £10,000 prize.
Sheikh Fahad's Pearl Code will be in action early on Sunday morning (European time) when she runs in the Gr.1 Shuka Sho (14.40 local time, 07.40 in UK) at Tokyo. A three-year-old filly by Victoire Pisa, and the winner of two races from five starts, she is trained by Mitsu Nakauchida.
QIPCO Champions Day photo: Laurence Squire