British Champions Sprint Stakes report and replay: Art Power denies Kinross and Dettori
By Sporting Life
14:17 · SAT October 21, 2023
Art Power denied Kinross and Frankie Dettori in the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot.
It appeared for all the world as Dettori was going to make the final day of the British Flat season his own when favourite Kinross hit the front but no one had told Art Power the script as the gallant grey battled back to force his head in front.
Art Power raced almost solo towards the far side under David Allan and Kinross was the only challenger to get to the 40/1 chance and went around a head up, trading at 1.01 on the exchanges, but Art Power had more in the tank and got back up in the final yards.
It was Art Power's fourth run in the race and he'd finished no better than fourth while it was his first success in 15 attempts in Group One company.
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It was a first domestic Group One for Allan who punched the air as he crossed the line.
"I got a bit excited there! I've been around a lot of years and didn't think I was going to get one of these," he told ITV Racing.
"He had drifted in the betting but we had quite a good chance on that ground, he loves soft ground or heavy ground. How brave he was at the finish was unreal. I was on my own a lot of the race so when we did get a bit of company he dug in there."
Allan added on Sky Sports Racing: "As Frankie came to me I wasn't too happy, I thought I'm going to get beat a neck here and be really cheesed off but he dug in really well for me the last half furlong and couldn't believe he got back up. I had no company for a lot of the race and when he got a bit of company he really stuck his neck out and ran through the line. I couldn't pull him up after, I don't know if that was excitement or what but I couldn't stop him after the race.
"He was bouncing today. I think he had a hard race in France, it took a little bit out of him and obviously the start went wrong in the Abbaye, he hit his head on the gates so that was that gone. Today he bounced out and he's got the perfect ground for him. He likes it soft to heavy but he doesn't like it sticky, so it's just wet enough that he can use his speed on it. It's great for him to get one as he's had a few goes, he's run some good races but you're thinking is he ever going to win one but he was awesome today, I couldn't believe how well he travelled."
Winning trainer Tim Easterby added: "He’s had a few bad luck stories, but he’s been in the first four nearly every time he’s run here. You can’t knock that. And he’s always run to the line.
“We gelded him, because we couldn’t get a job for him at stud. He’s a wonderful little horse. He took his gelding well, he takes it well whatever you do with him – he’s a great horse to train, no fancy gallops or all that bulls***. He’s just brilliant.
“I thought David gave him a fantastic ride. He jumped out and travelled. And when he travels, he is hard to beat. He looked great today – he’s put weight back on. He lost a load of weight when he ran in France, and he’s just come back.”
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