By Tom Frary
Saturday's G1 QIPCO Champion Stakes threw up a major shock as Shadwell's Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}–African Moonlight {UAE}, by Halling) swooped late to register a 40-1 success and provide further evidence of the skill and guile of Owen Burrows. Contesting his second group 1 having scored on his only previous try in the Prix d'Ispahan last May, the 6-year-old was coming off a below-par fifth in the G2 Prix Dollar 13 days ago but at least had his favoured testing ground to aid his cause.
Travelling strongly in a pocket behind the pace throughout the early stages, the gelding stalwart looked beaten two out with Jim Crowley at work and seemingly trapped. Four runners appeared to be coming to win it from there, but the real danger was in behind as Anmaat surged between rivals to grab Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) close home. At the line, there was a half-length between the winner and that 6-4 favourite, with another outsider Royal Rhyme (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) 1 3/4 lengths away in third. The sixth-placed Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) was one of the race's most significant side stories, having found to have bled.
“I don't think any horse in the race could have done what he has done,” Crowley said. “I'm not being biased, but the only horse I have had do that with me before is Mohaather in the Sussex Stakes.”
He added, “It was the same sort of feeling and to pick up on that ground was unreal. It's a small bit of redemption for Baaeed and that is probably the hardest defeat I have ever had in my life, it really hit me. To come back and win the Champion Stakes on this horse is fantastic.”
“We had a great position throughout and through no one's fault, the horses in front of me just stopped and I was just stuck. He would have been a very unlucky loser and it was an extraordinary performance. I don't think it was anyone's fault where we were, he had taken me well into the race. It was extraordinary to get that gap at that late stage of the race and it was great.”
A typical Owen Burrows project, Anmaat had been brought through handicaps in his younger days and carefully sculpted into the top-flight performer he has become. By the time he hit Haydock's G3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes in August 2022, he was ready to roll with the best and his next three starts had seen him capture ParisLongchamp's G2 Prix Dollar that year and the following Spring's Prix d'Ispahan.
Interrupted by injury after that breakthrough, he was delivered back to the Rose of Lancaster two months ago to repeat his prior success before putting in a rare below-par effort back in the Dollar on Arc weekend. This, a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, was a major step up on that display, with his old acceleration at the fore late on as he swamped the French raider and the other trio who had threatened to steal the prize in the straight in Royal Rhyme, the 50-1 shot Persica (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) and the G1 Irish Champion Stakes hero Economics.
“We've always thought a lot of this horse and I know it's easy for me to say it now, but I quite fancied him for the Eclipse last year after he won in France,” Burrows said. “Of course, he picked up that complex foot injury which kept him off for the rest of last season and the first part of this. He disappointed in France two weeks ago but I felt it was a muddling race, Jim said he could have ridden him a bit better so as long as he was okay, which he was, Sheikha Hissa very kindly said we could roll the dice again and she's been vindicated.”
“That was a massive performance, I felt,” he added. “It's up there with Hukum winning the King George as my best ever day–Ascot's quite a lucky place for me! There were a few people who rang me this morning who couldn't believe what sort of price he was–it was the first time he'd ever been out of the first three and I felt he had excuses. He was locked away and I'll be honest halfway up the straight I put my binoculars down, I thought he had no chance. Like Jim said, all the time he was locked away he was actually filling him up because he couldn't do anything so it sometimes works in your favour.”
Calandagan's trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said of the runner-up, “Second again–I am so upset. We had a very difficult draw, and in that ground this horse puts in too much effort. It was a very good effort and he was stumbling a few times on that ground and as Stephane said, he had to keep asking him to keep going in that ground and it didn't suit him much. We didn't see the winner coming and he met some trouble in running.”
“He probably prefers a mile and a half and being in his own bubble where he can quicken very strongly,” he added. “Today it was out of his pace and he then had trouble when starting to come with a run and then made his effort, it's tough. He's a very good horse and this year he has been winning or second all the time, I think he's a very talented horse. We will give him a nice break now over the winter and hopefully we see him again next year.”
William Haggas said of Economics, “He was a bit disappointing obviously, Tom [Marquand] felt the ground was a bit soft for him but I said I wasn't going to use that as an excuse, so I'm not going to. He seems fine. There was a little bit of blood in his nose, so we will sort that out and regroup.”
Pedigree Notes
Anmaat's dam African Moonlight also produced the GIII Kent Stakes winner and GII San Luis Rey Stakes runner-up Syntax (Ire) (Haatef) and the listed-placed Sir Gin (Ire) (Moss Vale {Ire}), while the second dam is the listed-placed African Peace (Roberto) was responsible for four black-type performers headed by African Moonlight's dual G3 Curragh Cup-winning full-brother Mkuzi (GB). Her yearling filly is by Palace Pier (GB).
Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QIPCO CHAMPION STAKES-G1, £1,300,000, Ascot, 10-19, 3yo/up, 10fT, 2:08.96, sf.
1–ANMAAT (IRE), 133, g, 6, by Awtaad (Ire)
1st Dam: African Moonlight (UAE), by Halling
2nd Dam: African Peace, by Roberto
3rd Dam: Galla Placidia (Fr), by Crystal Palace (Fr)
(140,000gns Wlg '18 TATFOA). O-Shadwell Estate Company
Ltd; B-Ringfort Stud (IRE); T-Owen Burrows; J-Jim Crowley.
£737,230. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr, 15-9-4-1, $1,550,251.
*1/2 to Syntax (Ire) (Haatef), GSW, $390,211. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or
the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Calandagan (Ire), 129, g, 3, Gleneagles (Ire)–Calayana (Fr), by
Sinndar (Ire). O-H H Aga Khan; B-Haras De Son Altesse L'Aga
Khan SCEA (IRE); T-Francis-Henri Graffard. £279,500.
3–Royal Rhyme (Ire), 133, c, 4, Lope De Vega (Ire)–Dubai
Queen, by Kingmambo. 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Sheikh
Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum (IRE); T-Karl Burke. £139,880.
Margins: HF, 1 3/4, NK. Odds: 40.00, 1.50, 25.00.
Also Ran: Iresine (Fr), See The Fire (GB), Economics (GB), King's Gambit (Ire), Persica (Ire), Los Angeles (Ire), Continuous (Jpn), Nashwa (GB). Scratched: Novus (Ire).
BIG upset! Anmaat wins the Group 1 QIPCO Champion Stakes at @Ascot for @JimCrowley1978 and @OwenBurrowsRace… pic.twitter.com/1WO7NL4beB
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 19, 2024
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