Testing Champions Day Awaits

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 least one soft-ground lover and recent history tells us this is often the most significant factor when the chips are down.

Then there are those who can sit in either category, the truly versatile like Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) seemingly immune to misfortune and adversity and others who have yet to display their flexibility. Saturday's feature G1 QIPCO Champion Stakes–a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf–offers the chance for Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) to do just that, having gained all his group wins on good ground, while his chief rival Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) has winning form on a similar surface but only really took off when he encountered one he could really bounce off this summer.

Both colts are top-drawer performers, with Economics's G1 Irish Champion Stakes success and Calandagan's second in the G1 Juddmonte International standing them apart from the crowd. The latter's closing sectionals in the G2 King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting here in June outshone those of Auguste Rodin in the G1 Prince of Wales's Stakes over a shorter trip, while his performance in chasing home City Of Troy at York was again outstanding on the clock.

Economics, whose dam La Pomme D'Amour (GB) (Peintre Celebre) was at her worst on this type of ground, has yet to match the kind of fireworks of Calandagan in terms of sectionals but with the ground as it is his sheer determination might be the most effective weapon. He just wouldn't let Auguste Rodin get the upper hand at Leopardstown and while he had enjoyed the better run through that race, he pulled it out where it mattered and few would claim he wasn't the worthy winner.

William Haggas is aware of the threat posed by the French challenger. “Calandagan is obviously a very good horse and will be a danger to everyone,” he said. “He has won over a mile and a half and I think he'll need every inch of the trip–I think it will be very interesting. He's a very smart horse, let's hope they both get there and what will be, will be. He was very impressive at Ascot. I fancied our horse in that race very much and he was binoculars away in second.”

The Aga Khan's stud manager Georges Rimaud said, “We're looking forward to it and Calandagan is very well. It's good to give them a break and I believe he has come back well and has worked very well, so we are very happy and we'll see what will happen. I understand they have moved the course to the track with the smaller straight, so it's going to be acceptable ground I believe. Of course, Economics is a very good horse but it's a Champion Stakes and you've got to be a champion so it's a good thing that there are good horses in there.”

On paper, this does not appear to be one of Ballydoyle's key targets with only Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) successful for the operation despite hefty representation. Sitting between the Arc and the Breeders' Cup and often staged on ground that tends to compromise the kind of thoroughbreds housed in Rosegreen, it is not the biggest surprise that Aidan O'Brien has different priorities. Unbowed, the stable returns with this year's Arc third Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) who is tough and resilient and boasts a similar profile to last year's winner King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}).

Of the remainder, there is a danger that Iresine (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) could be patronised given his connections, but he proved when dispatching Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}) and Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) in last year's G1 Prix Ganay that he is dangerous to ignore while Jeff Smith's G1 Nassau Stakes runner-up See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has something to find to beat the best of these but so did her dam Arabian Queen (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the 2015 G1 Juddmonte International.

Iresine's rider Marie Velon is relishing the prospect of riding such a live contender in one of Europe's highlights. “To ride in the Champion Stakes on Iresine is a dream, as he is the best horse of my life,” she said. “We grew up together, so to run in this big race is unbelievable, for both me and the team. Calandagan and Economics are the best horses of the season, but I will count on Iresine's experience to beat them. It's a beautiful challenge and we will do our best. He is in great form, better than last time. He will be 100 per-cent for Saturday and the ground will be perfect for him.”

Can Charyn?

This season's surprise package has been Nurlan Bizakov's Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who has gone from top-level contest to top-level contest enhancing his reputation each time. Proving in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois that his G1 Queen Anne Stakes success was no fluke, the homebred was caught out at ParisLongchamp where the mechanics of the G1 Prix du Moulin worked against him on the day. This straight mile of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Sponsored by QIPCO is his counting house, so as smart as the 3-year-olds Tamfana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) and Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) have looked so far they have to up their game to make this a true contest.

Last year's runner-up Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) has no peak-form Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) to contend with this time and the lightly-campaigned 5-year-old was the subject of a positive bulletin from Barry Irwin. “This is probably going to be it for this year for him, but we're looking forward to this race,” he said. “My trainer uses one of those smart saddles where they get all sorts of data and information and his numbers for his big pre-race work were better than they were going into Dubai and that was previously his best work ever heading into a race. I wouldn't say my trainer is over-confident, but I would say he is hoping for a big race.”

Aidan O'Brien said of Henry Longfellow, who has ground to make up having been third in the Moulin, “Things haven't really gone to plan for him this year, things have never fallen into place. We think we haven't seen the best of him yet and we have him in good form.”

Packed Content…

There is no standout on the formbook in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, with Ballydoyle's Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) edging it among the swollen field on her G1 Yorkshire Oaks success on lively ground in August. Sporting a hood for the first time when disappointing in the G1 Prix de l'Opera earlier this month, she is headgear-free once more and remains a potential improver alongside Juddmonte's fellow 3-year-old Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}). Favoured here on the back of her authoritative G3 September Stakes success, she has to prove her stamina with the ground placing extra demands but the confidence behind her is hard to ignore in this GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf qualifier.

Juddmonte's Barry Mahon said of Kalpana, “It will be the same for them all, it depends on how much rain arrives. She won't mind soft ground but if it turned heavy, that would be a whole different ball game. She's in good form, Andrew [Balding] is happy with her work and we're looking forward to seeing her run. She did it well at Kempton, to be fair she's probably been improving all year physically, but you'd have to be impressed with how she did it.”

Aidan O'Brien said of his leading contender, “The trip was a bit short for Content, the ground didn't suit and she normally wears ear plugs but in France she had to wear a hood as well, so maybe the combination was too much for her.”

Testing going brings Jurgen Sartori's impressive G2 Grand Prix de Deauville winner Quantanamera (Ger) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) firmly into the mix, with this meeting tending to favour overseas challengers accustomed to a deep surface. The Elite Racing Club's homebred Tiffany (Ire) (Farhh {GB}) has also shown an affinity with easy ground having been to Baden-Baden twice this season to take a listed contest in May and the G2 T von Zastrow Stutenpreis and she has that all-important Pivotal connection through her sire. Carefully steered towards this test by Sir Mark Prescott, she has the right material if the 3-year-olds fail to deliver.

Elite Racing's Dan Downie of owners said, “Ground-wise, I think she's pretty versatile, I don't think we know what she wants really. She tends to be pretty effective on any ground she's run on. We're not particularly fussed about that. She's had a good season and she's been improving. It's a difficult time of year for fillies, but hopefully she remains in good form. We're very happy with her and the plan is to stay in training with her next year, as there's so much more to come from her.”

The Long And The Short Of It…

The other two contests on the card offer contrasting experiences, with Kyprios and last year's winner Trawlerman (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}) potentially set to craft a long-drawn-out saga in the G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup and the likes of Montassib (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) and co ready to show their muscle in around 75 seconds in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes. Cheveley Park Stud's G1 Lockinge Stakes and G2 Lennox Stakes winner Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) is back in trip for the first time in over two years, while the 2022 winner and 2023 runner-up Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) tries again, as is his wont.

Kinross's jockey Rossa Ryan said of Marc Chan's veteran TDN Rising Star, “If he is going to Ascot, he will be 110 per-cent right, he's that sort of customer and he won't be turning up just to make up the numbers. All credit has to go to Ralph [Beckett] and the team, they are the ones who deserve all the praise as they are the ones to have wrapped him up in cotton wool–he still hasn't lost his mojo and it's great to see.”

William Haggas said of Montassib, “Since I dropped him back to six, he's been very good but he keeps pricking his ears when he gets to the front and you always think when they do that, they have a bit left. I don't know how much left there is.”

TDN Rising Star Kind Of Blue (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), who was second to Montassib in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup and has been acquired by Wathnan Racing, is following in familiar footsteps with his dam's full-brother Deacon Blues (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) having won the inaugural running of this in 2011 and her half-brother The Tin Man (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) emulating that achievement five years later.

Aidan O'Brien won't be using the ground as an excuse if Kyprios is subdued as he was 12 months ago. “The ground has never seemed to bother him, whatever it is,” he said. “This year it was fast ground in the Gold Cup and then it was soft in France the last day, it all seems to come alike to him. We've not had many like him, he's been an incredible horse.”

John Gosden revealed that Trawlerman would be coming into this a fresh horse having gone down by a length to a much straighter Kyprios at Royal Ascot. “He had a hard race in the Gold Cup, so we put him away–he had a nice holiday on his owner's stud farm,” he explained. “He has come back in and is in great order for the rematch.”