By Tom Frary
Saturday's G1 Qipco Champion S. at Ascot will be without Ulysses (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) after connections opted to swerve the 10-furlong feature in favour of other targets. With heavy rain a possibility, connections of the G1 Eclipse S. and G1 Juddmonte International hero Ulysses will wait for Del Mar, while the G1 English and Irish 2000 Guineas winner Churchill goes back to a mile for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on Saturday's card. Favouritism looks booked for Anthony Oppenheimer's group 1-seeking colt Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who faces a stern test against Godolphin's G1 St James's Palace S. scorer Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}). Saeed Suhail's G1 Irish Champion S. runner-up Poet's Word (Ire) (Poet's Voice {GB}) and Ballydoyle's six-times group 1 winner Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) are the pick of the older brigade, with the latter joined by his G1 Epsom Derby-placed stablemate Cliffs of Moher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). France is represented by Al Shaqab Racing's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero Brametot (Ire) (Rajsaman {Fr}), who was last seen finishing fifth in the Arc. Rupert Pritchard-Gordon, Racing Manager for Al Shaqab in France, said, “Brametot did his last piece of work on Monday morning in Deauville and all the signs are good. He looks like he's taken the Arc very well and I think a truly run mile and a quarter will really suit him. He comes into the race relatively fresh having only run twice since June and everything points to a good performance. Whether he's good enough to beat the likes of Cracksman we don't know, but if he repeats his form then he has a solid chance. He's got such a fantastic turn of foot and is so tough and honest that we felt if he came out of the Arc well then this would be the ideal race. He's already a dual Classic winner, and we're hoping he can finish on another high.”
Saturday, Ascot, Britain, post time: 3.50 p.m.
QIPCO CHAMPION S.-G1, £1,300,000, 3yo/up, 9f 212yT
SC PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 8 Desert Encounter (Ire) Halling Levey Simcock 131
2 9 Highland Reel (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Moore A O'Brien 131
3 5 Maverick Wave Elusive Quality Havlin Gosden 131
4 7 Poet's Word (Ire) Poet's Voice (GB) Atzeni Stoute 131
5 10 Success Days (Ire) Jeremy Foley Condon 131
6 2 Barney Roy (GB) Excelebration (Ire) Doyle Hannon 127
7 3 Brametot (Ire) Rajsaman (Fr) C Demuro Rouget 127
8 1 Cliffs of Moher (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Heffernan A O'Brien 127
9 4 Cracksman (GB) Frankel (GB) Dettori Gosden 127
10 6 Recoletos (Fr) Whipper Peslier Laffon-Parias 127
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