G1 Qipco Champion S.

Ascot is really where it all began for Frankie Dettori and after Saturday's opening salvo of QIPCO Champions Day it looked to have already given that farewell gift, but there was one final blessing to be bestowed on its favourite son as Amo Racing's King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Eldacar {GB}, by Verglas {Ire}) prevailed in the G1 QIPCO Champion S., a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf. As deep into the feature 10-furlong contest as the final 100 yards, the glorious sign-off looked unlikely to...

Shadwell's Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) has been withdrawn from this afternoon's G1 Qipco Champion S. due to the ground. Angus Gold explained the decision to pull the G1 G1 Juddmonte International and G1 Prince of Wales's S. hero from the feature, for which he was favourite on Friday. "I asked two jockeys coming back in and one said it was horrible ground and the other that it was heavy, so we decided we didn't want to end his career on a bad note. He'll be prepared for the Breeders' Cup...

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...

Four-time Group 1 winner Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) will be freshened until a likely start on QIPCO British Champions Day in October, trainer Aidan O'Brien revealed. After breaking his maiden at second asking at two, the Coolmore partners runner won his first six starts at three, including the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, G1 St James's Palace S., G1 Eclipse and the G1 Sussex S. He suffered only his second career loss when a game third to Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Juddmonte International S. at York on Wednesday....

Caught off guard in Royal Ascot's G1 Prince of Wales's S. and Sandown's G1 Coral-Eclipse, James Wigan and Ballylinch Stud's Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}--Hayyona {GB}, by Multiplex {GB}) made it third time lucky at the highest level when upsetting the hitherto undefeated Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and a stellar field in Saturday's G1 Qipco Champion S. at Ascot. The race is a qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland next month. Having appeared set fair to join the upper echelons when routing his rivals...

Declarations for Saturday's Champions Day bonanza at Ascot were finalised Thursday morning, with no surprise defections from the main contests. Shadwell's hitherto undefeated Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will conclude his racing career in the £1.3-million Qipco Champion S. and faces off against last year's G1 Derby and G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). Baaeed has drawn stall one, and Adayar stall six, in the day's feature event. Elsewhere on the £4-million card, Cheveley Park Stud's G1 Coronation S. and G1 Prix...

Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will bow out in the G1 QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot rather than the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, his trainer William Haggas has revealed. Following a stunning display on his first start over 10 furlongs in the Juddmonte International at York, connections indicated that they might consider supplementing Baaeed for the 12-furlong French feature on Oct. 2. However, following discussions between Haggas and the unbeaten star's owners Shadwell, it has been decided that Baaeed will sign off on his career closer...

After a few days where moving the date of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe had been mooted and widely-discussed, Haras de la Gousserie's Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) proved that the 13-day turnaround from the ParisLongchamp monument to Ascot's G1 QIPCO Champion S. holds no fears with a career-defining success in Saturday's feature. While most of the focus had been on how Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) would deal with being backed up from ParisLongchamp, it was the bargain €62,000 Arqana Deauville August graduate Sealiway who bounced back from a...

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...

Godolphin's G1 Cazoo Derby and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. winner Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) might be seen once more this season in the G1 QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot on Oct. 16. Fourth in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after leading into the home straight, the bay has been pleasing trainer Charlie Appleby since his run in Paris. "He will be left in the Champion S. tomorrow, for the simple reason at the moment he has come out of the Arc well," Appleby...

Group 1 winner Lady Bowthorpe (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) will not start in the G1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot S. at Newmarket on Oct. 2, and will instead be pointed at the Oct. 16 QIPCO British Champions Day. Trained by William Jarvis for Emma Banks, the 5-year-old mare won the G1 Nassau S. in late July, but was only seventh in the G1 Prix Jean Romanet on Aug. 22. Jarvis is pointing Lady Bowthorpe to either the one mile G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. or the 10-furlong G1 QIPCO Champion...

Two-time Group 1 winner Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), runner-up in last October's G1 QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot, will not compete in Sunday's G2 Grand Prix de Deauville and instead wait for the G2 Prix Foy on Sept. 12, trainer Jerome Reynier revealed on Thursday. The Champion S. is the charismatic grey gelding's end-of-season goal. "He is very good--we're very happy with him," said Reynier. "We've decided not to go to the Grand Prix de Deauville because the ground is too firm, and by the end of the meeting it...