G1 Melbourne Cup heroine Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) will run in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. at Ascot on Oct. 15, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard revealed on Tuesday. She will be part of a two-pronged attack in that race for the trainer on QIPCO British Champions Day alongside G1 Prix Vermeille winner Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). Unplaced in the G1 Prix Jean Romanet to start her European campaign, the 11-time Group 1 winne ran third in the G2 Prix Foy, and was most recently seventh in the G1 Prix Royallieu on Oct. 1.
Graffard said, “Verry Elleegant will come to Ascot for the QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares. She was very unlucky in the way the race was run at Longchamp, where there was no tempo and she was boxed in on the rail and pulled hard. She basically didn't have a race.
“It's hard to see such a fantastic mare beaten like that and it's upsetting too, but I felt that the race was over for her at the first bend when I saw where we were. Everything went against her and it's best forgotten, but she's come out of it well. She's happy and she tries, and hopefully things will go her way at QIPCO British Champions Day.
“Sweet Lady will also run and she's in top form. We decided to avoid Arc weekend and focus on the Fillies & Mares, as we did with Bateel.”
Graffard also provided an update on The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who won the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. in 2020, and is back for another crack. He was second in the G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein on Saturday.
Graffard said, “He's in top form and has come out of Saturday's race very well. He seems to be as enthusiastic as ever and he has always run well on Champions Day. The softer the ground the better for him.”
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