By Tom Frary
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 first winner in Britain.
Economics's trainer William Haggas said, “The Irish Champion Stakes was a very strong race and Leopardstown is a very, very complicated track, so you need a lot of luck. I thought Tom [Marquand] was exceptional there and he came in and said Economics was a tough horse, as it was very messy. He felt he asked a lot of the horse at various times and he didn't let him down.”
“He's a good horse, but it was a tough race and he's needed every week to come to his best for Saturday. He's won on fast ground this year and we'll see whether he copes. I think he'll be okay, because I think he's very versatile, but it will be top of the list of excuses if it all goes wrong I suppose.”
In the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, 13 milers will line up headed by Nurlan Bizakov's multiple group 1 winner Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and the David Menuisier-trained G1 Sun Chariot Stakes winner Tamfana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}).
In the G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes sees a field of 14 featuring Juddmonte's impressive G3 September Stakes scorer Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}) and Ballydoyle's G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
In the G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes, 20 sprinters include the G1 July Cup hero Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) and the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner Montassib (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) while Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) looks to extend his winning streak and win the G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup for the first time. His eight opponents include the horse that defeated him 12 months ago in Godolphin's Trawlerman (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}).
Ascot confirmed on Thursday that the three races staged on the round course would be switched to the inner flat track due to heavy ground. The Long Distance Cup, Fillies & Mares Stakes and the Champion Stakes will now take place on a surface officially described as soft.
Clerk of the course Chris Stickels explained, “The Long Distance Cup decreases in trip by 82 yards and the mile and a half Fillies & Mares Stakes decreases by 78 yards. If the forecast is accurate, I expect conditions to remain the same and we're expecting some rain Friday night into Saturday. We're generally dry up until then and we may see a slight improvement in conditions before then, and with rain Friday night and Saturday morning, I would imagine conditions will end up similar to how they are now.”
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