QIPCO Champion Stakes report: Addeybb goes one better in 2020

He tracked the front-running Serpentine before going to the front over two furlongs out and never looked in danger from that point.

The 9/1 winner was two-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of French raider Skalleti (13/2) at the line with 15/8 favourite Magical, last year's winner, plugging on for third.

Addeybb was claiming a first British Group One having landed two top-flight races during a successful spring campaign in Australia.

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Marquand said: “Honestly what a credit to Safid [Alam], William and Maureen and the whole team at home. He’s gone to Australia, he conquered down under and now he’s come back up and he deserved that Group One up here so much because all he’s done is knock on the door, show he’s a champion and he’s never got his real swansong, but today’s he’s got it.

“He travelled like a true good horse throughout the race and to be honest when I started getting going, I just bombed the straight. It’s remarkable, I’ve never ridden a horse like him. He goes over ground that’s as bad as you can get and he makes it feel like you are on quick ground. That’s why he’s so good on it."

Marquand's partner Hollie Doyle had already enjoyed a red-letter day at Ascot riding her first Group One winner aboard Glen Shiel in the Sprint after landing the opening Long Distance Cup aboard Trueshan

He added "I’m so, so proud of her [Hollie]. All she does is get up every day and graft and to ride her first Group One for Archie Watson is brilliant because he’s played such a big part, but also for Alan King because he’s played a big part for both of us in the last few years, our first Royal Ascot winners were for him and he’s had a cracking year. There’s no one, genuinely no one, who deserves it more."

Winning trainer William Haggas added: “He has been absolutely fantastic. Since he won the Wolferton last year and we put the cheek-pieces on, he has just been so consistent. He was really on it today. He looked fantastic beforehand, we thought, but he was grumpy and difficult to saddle, which is a good sign for him. He has got such a marvellous nature and this is tailor-made for him. We all know that he loves this ground.

“The filly [Verry Elleegant] that he beat in both his Group One races in Australia won the Caulfield Cup today, beating Anthony Van Dyck, so they were smart performances, but he had never won a Group One in England. He had been second a few times, so that for us is the great joy – we have finally won a championship race with such a good horse.

“It has been quite interesting. I said after six-year-old One Master won the Foret for a third time that, if you can keep them happy, sound and not abuse them when they are young, they will reward you when they are older. This is exactly what he has done. Look at today – the first winner was six, the second winner was six – if they are sound, healthy and keep their enthusiasm, which he has done, then they can enjoy life. I think that was his best ever performance at the age of six.

“He is great at home and Safid, who rides him every day, said this morning that he would win and that he was really on form. I have been not very well for a bit and then have been at the sales when I have been better, so I have hardly seen him. I have seen him at first lot but that is it really, so all credit to my team at home and to Safid in particular, who dotes on this horse. I think he is looking for another couple of months in Australia next spring!

“I have no idea next year [on going back to Australia] because there are horses from Europe in Melbourne and they had 11,000 people at the races in Sydney today. If we can get there, we will obviously consider it.

"We also might consider Saudi Arabia as well, which is dirt but that dirt track is terrific. I was there last year and I thought it was terrific and possibly worth a short. We shall see and we are going to enjoy this day very much.”