British Champions Day analysis and tips
Andrew Asquith, Ben Linfoot and Tony McFadden share their thoughts ahead of the star-studded British Champions Day card.
Who do you think will come out on top in a Champion Stakes that features a fascinating clash between Economics and Calandagan?
Andrew Asquith: It does look between Economics and Calandagan who dominate the market, and for me it will be the latter who will come out on top. He has more experience on soft or heavy ground having finished runner-up on heavy and he’s also a two-time Group 3 winner on soft.
He has taken his form to new heights on a firmer surface since, but I don’t think the return to testing conditions will bother him too much, and his second to City of Troy in the Juddmonte International Stakes last time, where he easily beat subsequent Arc heroine Bluestocking, is the best form on offer. I think he’ll start a strong favourite and expect him to win quite handsomely.
Ben Linfoot: A great clash and hopefully it will light up Champions Day. It’s hard to pick between the duo, but I worry more about Calandagan tactically on the inner track coming from behind. King Of Steel did it last year but that was last-gasp stuff and I wonder if you’d be better positioned more prominently. Either way, I think Economics will handle the ground just fine, he’s a big, powerful Night Of Thunder, and I expect William Haggas’ horse to take the world of beating.
Tony McFadden: We've seen before how it can be dangerous to bill a contest as a two-horse race, but Economics and Calandagan look like the class acts in the Champion Stakes and I'd be surprised if they didn't fight out the finish.
Economics heads the market following his hard-fought win in the Irish Champion Stakes but on Timeform's figures Calandagan posted an even better effort when runner-up to City of Troy in the Juddmonte International. Calandagan arguably shaped a bit better than the bare result on that occasion, too, as he was the only one to make an impression from the rear, and he shades my vote.
Are Kyprios and Charyn solid favourites?
AA: Kyprios was beaten a neck by Trawlerman in the Long Distance Cup 12 months ago, but it is worth remembering that Kyprios had a truncated campaign last season, and I don’t expect the same to happen this time around, so he’s solid for me.
Charyn I’m a little more sceptical over, though, and I’ll be looking to take him on. Tamfana has been impressive on her last two starts and she actually surprised me with how easily she won the Sun Chariot at Newmarket recently, moving through her race like she’s at home at the top level and easily drawing clear in the closing stages. The ground won’t be a problem for her and, as a three-year-old filly, she gets all the allowances. She’d be the one for me in the QEII.
BL: They are both quite obviously solid but there are reasons for value-seeking punters to have a go against them. Kyprios had a tough enough race in the Cadran just two weeks ago and Aidan O’Brien might be stretching the elastic a bit tight here, for all that he’s the clear form pick. Charyn also holds that mantle and he won’t mind soft ground on the Ascot straight course given what we’ve seen from him this season. There’s not much between him and Tamfana, though, certainly when the age and sex allowances are applied, and she offers a good-value alternative.
TM: Kyprios probably wasn't quite at his best when beaten by Trawlerman in this last season given he'd spent most of the campaign on the sidelines, and he gained his revenge in the Gold Cup. That was one of six victories for Kyprios during what has been a flawless campaign so far and this prolific winner should prove too strong.
Charyn is also tough to knock and has enjoyed a productive campaign, winning four times, including twice at the highest level. He faces a serious rival here, however, as Tamfana has very little to find on ratings once her sex allowance has been taken into account and her effectiveness over further could be an asset on testing ground on this stiff course.
Who is your strongest fancy on the Champions Day card?
AA: The Champions Sprint has attracted a maximum field of 20, probably reflective of how wide open the sprint division is at the moment, but for me Montassib must have an excellent chance. He has been a revelation since he’s been campaigned as a sprinter, beating Kinross in the Chipchase before getting the better of a host of rivals he’ll face again on Saturday in the Sprint Cup at Haydock last time.
Montassib is a horse who revels in the mud, so conditions will be perfect for him, and being held up in a big field on the straight track at Ascot will bring the best out of him. Even though he’s a six-year-old, I’d say he’s still a sprinter on the up, and he’s my biggest bet on the card.
BL: I’d say Tamfana in the QEII. She’s shown good straight track form this season and we know she handles testing ground well. She hasn’t had the combination of the two over a mile yet, the closest being her comfortable Sun Chariot win on good to soft at Newmarket last time out, but this could be the perfect mix with Oisin Murphy back on board. Charyn will be a tough rival, but the market hasn’t missed him and the 6lb Tamfana gets could be vital in the final analysis, so she looks the best bet on the card to me.
TM: Tamfana. Yes, she's up against a high-class and consistent sort in Charyn, but she produced a very smart performance to emphatically win a good edition of the Sun Chariot Stakes, she has winning form on testing ground and is a strong stayer at the trip. Everything looks in place for her to give a good account and she appeals as decent value.
Is there anything at a double-figure price you could see going well at Ascot?
AA: Along with Montassib, I also put up War Chimes (Fillies & Mares Stakes) and Lattam (Balmoral Handicap) in my Weekend View column and I think both will go well at double-figure prices.
War Chimes won a heavy-ground listed event in France last season, beating the Andre Fabre-trained Sosie – who has won a Group 1, Group 2 and finished fourth in the Arc this season – with plenty in hand and her form when third in a soft-ground Oaks at Epsom isn’t bad either. She has been given a nice break since her run in the Irish Oaks where the ground was too firm and, as a big filly, with plenty of scope, she is entitled to have matured further during her time off and will love the ground.
Lattam is another who has been freshened up and I like that angle given he goes so well after a break, while he will also relish the likely conditions on Saturday. He will race from the same mark as when finishing runner-up in the Lincoln on his return and debut for this yard earlier in the season and I thought he would have gone close to winning that day had he made his challenge earlier and enjoyed a clearer passage. I like his draw in stall 22 and the straight mile at Ascot will be perfect for him.
BL: I think Wingspan could go very well at a big price in the Fillies & Mares for Aidan O’Brien and Sean Levey. Ryan Moore is on the filly with better form in Content, but Wingspan has the potential after just five career starts and I like how she has been progressing as she has gone up in trip. The daughter of Dubawi tackles a trip in excess of 10 furlongs for the first time here, but the same could’ve been said about her dam, Hydrangea, in this very race in 2017, and she won it nicely, so it’s reasonable to expect improvement at this distance from Wingspan given her pedigree. She won’t mind the ground, either, and I can see her going well from a prominent position.
TM: The top sprinters in Britain and Ireland don't set a lofty standard so any progressive newcomers on the scene are worth extra attention. James's Delight has flopped a couple of times this season when faced with quick ground but he's compiling an excellent record when it's testing and this stiff six furlongs should suit based on how strongly he tends to see out his races. He has few miles on the clock for a sprinter and looks worth a crack at this level.
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