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Ascot Saturday preview: David Ord sets the scene for QIPCO British Champions Day
David Ord sets the scene ahead of QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday.
This year’s QIPCO British Champions Day has drawn a proper heavyweight title clash.
Economics v Calandagan in the feature race is a mouthwatering prospect, two rising stars who have earned their place at the top table with the prospect of even bigger performances and days ahead.
But Ascot in October isn’t necessarily the place to deliver them. You need to get down and dirty to win here, even Frankel in his final race. It doesn’t feature on the showreels of his glorious career but we learned something new about him as he faced an exhausting final furlong with high-class mudlark Cirrus Des Aigles biting at his heels.
He had to show courage as well as class.
And for Economics, he’s already had a taste of this, winning the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown despite things not falling as Tom Marquand might necessarily have wanted.
And when he was headed going to the final furlong by Auguste Rodin he had every right, on only his fifth career start, to curl up, and accept the situation.
The fact he didn’t, found more and regained the initiative augurs well for the test he faces on Saturday although admittedly if you’re going to eyeball any Group One winner, last year’s Derby hero might not be a bad one to pick.
Brilliant in the Dante, impressive at Deauville and tough in Ireland. He’s done it three different ways.
Calandagan looked a Rolls Royce when striding clear to win the King Edward VII at the Royal Meeting and took his form to a new level when going through the gears to chase home City Of Troy in the Juddmonte International.
He’s three pounds clear of Economics on Timeform ratings going into this and has proven himself on soft ground in his native France. But how much of the summer improvement was down to encountering good to firm ground for the first time at Ascot and York? And look as he might on the inside track on Saturday, Stephane Pasquier won’t find a strip of that anywhere with 8mm of rain forecast overnight on already soft ground.
The fact you might hear hooves squelch rather than rattle will play into Los Angeles’ hands.
He wasn’t far behind Economics in that Irish Champion and ran a cracker from the front when third in the Arc less than two weeks ago. And you’ll imagine Ryan Moore will want to be on the pace from the moment the stalls open again on Saturday.
No pacemaker to help. He’ll go as fast as his laidback demeanour allows and hope to run the finish out of the closers by the two furlong marker. The harder it gets inside the final quarter mile – the better for him.
But Champions Day isn’t just an afternoon for the purists – it can be one for the punters too.
You can read elsewhere why Ben Linfoot feels Royal Rhyme is a bet at 50/1 to provide one of those Ascot results we put down to ‘long season and deep ground’.
It could be a similar scenario in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Charyn the best of the older milers in the UK and Ireland locks horns with the thriving Tamfana. Another big clash – but is this a two-horse race?
Remember last year and Big Rock’s demolition job from the front? I bet Moore and O’Brien do and you can see Henry Longfellow going forward and trying to repeat the feat.
The 20 runner Champions Sprint will visually look like a high-class Wokingham and it’s 6/1 the field while Kalpana has been drifting in the market as plenty look for big-priced alternatives in the Fillies’ & Mares’ race.
We start with a bang, Kyprios v Trawlerman in the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup.
Last year they served up a memorable renewal, the latter producing a brave rally to overhaul his rival under Frankie Dettori after the Ballydoyle raider had looked home and hosed when sweeping past him on the home turn.
This year Kyprios has been right back to his best, winning six times including four Group Ones. But the best he’s been – and the deepest he’s had to dig – was when beating Trawlerman by a length in the Gold Cup at Ascot.
His rival arrives here fresh and with the Ballydoyle behemoth in his sights once again.
O’Brien will make history on Saturday when he’s crowned champion trainer in the UK yet again. But this time, and for the first time, those who wear the crowns on the flat and over jumps are both Irish. Willie Mullins spoke on Wednesday of his desire to have a photo at Ascot to commemorate the feat. He’ll no doubt be accommodated.
The images of the afternoon's other winners will be muddier affairs, for these are six races that will be hard won.
It’s a different test of a champion and that makes for a compelling afternoon.
Our Champions Day package
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