G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup
Two weeks on from completing a facsimile of his banner 2022 season by notching a second victory in ParisLongchamp's G1 Prix du Cadran, Europe's dominant stayer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Polished Gem {Ire}, by Danehill) added lustre to a perfect 2024 campaign with a decisive success in Saturday's G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot. Ballydoyle's star went postward as the 8-11 favourite to gain compensation for a neck defeat in this two-mile contest last year and stalked pacesetting stablemate The Euphrates (GB) (Frankel {GB}) until turning for home....
It's QIPCO British Champions Day, so it stands to reason that we are talking about autumn soft ground as the European flat season continues to turn on its axis. Where the summer specialists City Of Troy (Justify), Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) and Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) are missing for varying reasons, the way is open for those who relish the kind of test this surface provides. Every one of the five pattern races on Ascot's fixture boasts at...
Ascot's Qipco British Champions Day took its final shape on Thursday morning, with the middle-distance heavyweights Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) heading a 12-strong cast for Saturday's £1.3-million G1 Qipco Champion Stakes. Isa Salman Al Khalifa's G1 Irish Champion Stakes winner and The Aga Khan's G1 Juddmonte International runner-up are joined by the G1 Irish Derby third Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), one of two for Ballydoyle, and another French raider in Iresine (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) who gives to provide Marie Velon with a...
A total of 227 entries have been received for the five Group contests scheduled to take place on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot, it was announced on Tuesday. This is the largest number since 2018 and includes a record 56-strong entry for the G1 QIPCO Champion Stakes, the feature race on the card slated for Saturday, October 19. The 56 horses entered for the Champion Stakes have won 37 Group 1 races between them, with Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) boasting the most decorated CV as a six-time...
Godolphin's homebred Trawlerman (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}--Tidespring {Ire}, by Monsun {Ger}), fresh off an 18-length rout in the Listed Jockey Club Rose Bowl S. at Newmarket, overcame seafaring conditions and bettered a third in last year's G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup to secure a career high in this term's renewal of the marathon test at Ascot. Last year's Ebor H. victor was caught between two stools and raced in an isolated second off the clear leader through halfway and inched ahead with five furlongs remaining. Taken on and...
Storm Babet has decided the final shape of the fields for Saturday's Qipco Champions Day fixture, with the softening ground ruling Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) out of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and making up Aidan O'Brien's mind as to where to point Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}). That four-times group 1 winner takes up his engagement in the QEII, leaving a total of nine to take part in the G1 Qipco Champion S. Heading the list for the 10-furlong highlight is last year's winner Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay...
Alan King trainee Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}--Shao Line {Fr}, by General Holme) had annexed the last two renewals of Ascot's G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup, but had failed to find a way past Coltrane (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in last month's G2 Doncaster Cup. Having earlier run third in a thrilling edition of August's G1 Goodwood Cup, he was back at the top of his game to exact revenge on that rival and registered a hat-trick of victories in the two-mile marathon after a ding-dong tussle. Hollie Doyle was...
Adding to his fast-accumulating haul of big-race wins on Saturday, Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) justified even-money favouritism to bring up a repeat in Ascot's G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup. While not as demonstrative as 12 months ago, when the deeper ground saw him excel with a 7 1/2-length success, the subsequent G1 Goodwood Cup and G1 Prix du Cadran hero had a tactical affair to deal with this time but Hollie Doyle refused to be flustered anchoring him in mid-division. Despite his early exuberance, the 5-year-old had plenty...
Godolphin's June 5 G1 Epsom Derby and July 24 G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) will be one of the 10 starters in Saturday's G1 QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot after Charlie Appleby pushed go on Thursday morning. Fourth in last Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp, the homebred has given all the right signals in the interim period and adds substance to a renewal robbed of Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) who has been re-routed to take the...