Champions Day Ascot tips: Matt Brocklebank's Antepost Angle preview of QIPCO British Champions Day

Recommended bets

1/2pt win Sonaiyla in British Champions Sprint Stakes at 25/1

3pts win Search For A Song in British Champions Long Distance Cup at 7/1

1pt win Thundering Nights in British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at 16/1

1/2pt win My Oberon in Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at 33/1

2pts win Persian King in Champion Stakes at 8/1

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QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1)

Staying a little further than the advertised six furlongs is never a bad thing when it comes to the Champions Sprint and that was brought into sharp focus last October when Donjuan Triumphant paddled his way through the heavy ground to beat One Master and Forever In Dreams.

The two antepost market leaders this year – namely Dream Of Dreams and Space Blues – score heavily in that regard and Sir Michael Stoute’s horse, the clear favourite at a best price 11/4, does undeniably have a huge amount going for him.

He took the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury in August before registering a first success at the highest level in Haydock’s Sprint Cup. So he’s never been in better form, gets the trip strongly, handles cut in the ground and also goes well at Ascot with a course record of 20202.

The duck eggs have come in the past two renewals of this event, though, which might put a few people off at the current odds.

Space Blues, like a few others entered up here, is likely to head to ParisLongchamp first with the Prix de la Forêt his expected next port of call.

He’s unbeaten in four this term and also claimed a breakthrough Group 1 victory last time when powering home late to land the Maurice de Gheest over six and a half furlongs at Deauville.

The Arc weekend-Champions Day turnaround is just a fortnight so if pushed I’d rather side with a horse who looks more likely to skip France, which means I’ll be overlooking One Master, Glass Slippers, Make A Challenge and Lope Y Fernandez, who all have options that weekend.

Glen Shiel has improved a lot as a six-year-old and is as tough as they come. He briefly looked like springing a surprise at Haydock and could go well again, but anyone backing him at 14/1 has to have at least a small interest in SONAIYLA, who has gone under the radar at 25/1.

There’s a slight chance she goes for the Abbaye, but I’d much rather see her take up this weekend’s Group 3 Curragh engagement over six as nothing was finishing as well as her in the Flying Five on Irish Champions Weekend. And it'd give her another week's recovery before Ascot.

She was the subject of an each-way gamble at the Curragh and duly got up for third late in the piece, having had to make her challenge more towards the middle of the track as Glass Slippers nipped up the far rail.

The Dark Angel filly – picked up for 110,000 euros last November from Mick Halford’s yard – has improved no end for Paddy Twomey this year and doesn’t look like she’s stopped just yet.

She’s yet to get her favoured soft ground this season but still got to within a neck of Glen Shiel in the Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh in August and could be able to turn the tables on him in testing conditions, especially considering she’s a dual winner over seven furlongs.

She’s definitely a touch over-priced and should shorten a bit if winning this weekend so she kicks off the staking plan.

QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2)

There’s a fair bit of guesswork involved if you’re having a bet in this market at this point. That’s not always ideal but it can also throw up a good price if you happen to land on the right narrative.

Win, lose or draw in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, there must be a fair chance 6/4 favourite Stradivarius doesn’t show up here just 13 days on from ParisLongchamp.

It’s not like they’re betting 10/1 bar, mind, so the layers are well on top of things in that respect.

Lonsdale Cup-winning stablemate Enbihaar is next in the betting and she could take in the Group 1 for fillies at ParisLongchamp en route to a possible shot at this.

Neither is a genuine betting proposition as things stand but SEARCH FOR A SONG is very much in that kind of territory at 7/1.

She’s halved in price since landing her second Irish St. Leger at the Curragh in the middle of the month but she could certainly get a fair bit shorter still.

Dermot Weld has done well at the meeting over the years, including winning the Fillies & Mares Stakes with this horse’s half-sister Sapphire in 2012.

It seems the great trainer effectively wrote off the first half of the season but has come back firing on all cylinders now and he’ll be keen to keep the momentum rolling right through the autumn.

Search For A Song has been to Britain before and won, landing the Listed Galtres Stakes at York last year, while her 2019 Curragh success came at the chief expense of Kew Gardens, who came on to win this from Stradivarius the following month.

Really testing ground would be a big question mark for the daughter of Galileo, while the trip fractionally short of two miles is another unknown, but we could be looking at the next big thing in the staying division and it would be a surprise were she aimed elsewhere.

All things considered she makes a lot more appeal than anything else in the frame.

QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1)

Another pretty messy market at the moment and a massive discrepancy (7/4 Hills, 6/1 Paddy Power/Betfair) in price when it comes to Magical.

She won this a couple of years ago and could well return but also has the Champion Stakes – which she took last season – as an obvious option, before which she could run in the Prix de l’Opera or the Arc at ParisLongchamp.

The top price about her would look silly if this happens to become her target but it doesn’t look likely and is not a risk worth taking, while Fancy Blue (top price 7/1) and Peaceful (8/1) are probably heading for the Opera en route, with the Breeders’ Cup also potentially on their autumn radars three weeks on from Ascot.

Seriously impressive Prix Vermeille winner Tarnawa has the edge over that pair on a line through Raabihah, if the Prix de Diane form can be trusted, and it’s not hard to see Weld bringing his mare here. She’s a massive contender and could be a solid favourite if the others go elsewhere but has already been well backed since the Vermeille and I'm happy to cast the net a little wider.

The home team lacks a bit of sparkle this time around with Sir Michael Stoute’s improving Katara needing another massive step up on her bare form to be taken seriously in this sort of company, and John Gosden’s Mehdaayih, Franconia and Frankly Darling all having something to prove (Enable is entered but hasn’t even been priced up).

Miss Yoda is the other Gosden hope but I’m far from convinced she stays well enough, while Ed Vaughan’s Dame Malliot obviously does, but she has three lengths to find on Tarnawa from ParisLongchamp and isn’t being missed in the market.

The one that may have overlooked is Joseph O’Brien’s rapid improver THUNDERING NIGHTS.

Her little winning run came to an end when beaten five and a half lengths by Cayenne Pepper on drying ground in the Blanford Stakes at the Curragh, but she wasn’t best placed in midfield as the first two dominated throughout.

The way she stayed on was really encouraging and, with loads of stamina on the dam’s side of her pedigree, she now looks to be crying out for a mile and a half.

The softer the ground the better as well for the Night Of Thunder filly, who beat Albigna quite convincingly in the Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes on her penultimate start.

This is her only entry at the time of wring and the 16/1 across the board looks one of the more attractive antepost plays given how much improvement O’Brien jnr seems to be getting from his three-year-olds (five of the past six winners of this represented the Classic generation).

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1)

Palace Pier is all but passed the post if you take the betting at face value which is quite understandable after how this year’s miling division has panned out.

Siskin looked a potential world-beater in the Irish Guineas, Kameko burst some big bubbles with a strong-staying victory in a quick time at Newmarket and Circus Maximus reminded us all of his admirable qualities when winning the Queen Anne from Terebellum, who looked destined for stardom herself at one point earlier in the year.

Then along came Mohaather in the Summer Mile and a Sussex Stakes for the ages, since when he’s unfortunately been forced into early retirement, while Century Dream came onto the scene in the Celebration Mile, only to flop when favourite for the Boomerang Stakes at Leopardstown.

There are clearly some very capable horses entered up to take on the red-hot favourite, but it’s very hard to know whether they’ll put their best foot forward and if you’re looking to tackle Palace Pier then it could be worth taking a complete flier on the potential of Royal Ascot winner Khaloosy or William Haggas’ MY OBERON.

Haggas only has the latter, Tammani (not up to this level) and One Master (ran in the Sprint last year) entered, so we might get a run for our money at least and he definitely shapes like a horse with a lot more to offer as he continues to learn the job.

After readily landing cramped odds in a York novice on just his second start, My Oberon was unfortunate not to get a fair crack at Tilsit – who hung across his line but survived the wrath of the stewards - in the Group 3 Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

That clearly rankled Haggas but he’ll have taken encouragement from the horse’s subsequent effort when second again to Top Rank at Haydock.

The form still leaves a lot to be desired at this kind of level, not least with the winner who is likely to reoppose after this Friday’s Joel Stakes, but My Oberon again looked a shade unfortunate having done most of the hard work, got to the front, only be overhauled with half a furlong to travel.

The straight mile at Ascot promises to really suit the son of Dubawi, who obviously relishes some cut in the ground, and he looks worth a small dart at 33/1 (General) in a one-sided market.

QIPCO Champion Stakes (Group 1)

A difference of a opinion in the betting here as well with one firm (Unibet) making Ghaiyyath favourite, others with 2019 winner Magical top of their list, but the majority having Mishriff as the one to beat.

Love isn’t far behind them but the Oaks heroine can be backed at 8/1 with Paddy Power/Betfair. So it’s a muddling affair and getting on a certain runner (nothing’s guaranteed, of course) looks half the battle at the moment.

Haggas confirmed Addeybb on course after he successfully defied a penalty in cooler waters at Ayr over the weekend and the 12/1 being dangled about him isn’t the worst piece of each-way business, with ground conditions likely to come his way as we head into October.

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe will obviously reveal a whole lot more, not only when it comes to Magical or Ghaiyyath’s participation in France, but also the likes of Telecaster, Mogul and Serpentine who could all come here instead/as well.

We may also see Armory or Peaceful end up contesting this, along with Fancy Blue and Alpine Star, while Pyledriver is reportedly all set for a crack at it and will surely benefit from a drop back to this sort of distance after shaping with abundant promise in the St Leger.

Logician won’t be rushed by Gosden, especially while Mishriff remains on target, and Enable would be a big price to turn up, no matter what happens on her date with destiny.

Perhaps the most interesting – and dare I suggest most solid – bet at this point is PERSIAN KING for Andre Fabre.

I’d be amazed if he went for the Arc but he strikes as the kind of horse well worth another try over 10 furlongs, despite letting down favourite-backers on his only previous attempt at the trip in last year’s Prix du Jockey Club.

He’s looked a rather more settled character this time around and while blown out of the water by Palace Pier et al on bad ground in the Jacques le Marois, it clearly wasn’t his true running and he proved as much when beating Pinatubo, Circus Maximus and Siskin in a hot edition of the Prix du Moulin (six-runner field had won 14 Group 1s between them) earlier this month.

He’s had his ups and downs this colt but his trainer – who won this race twice in the 90s – has always considered him a champion and generally works towards the top autumn targets with all of his best horses.

Bottomless ground would be a big worry but the son of Kingman will handle a bit of cut (won last year’s French Guineas on heavy) and if Pierre-Charles Boudot were to travel for the ride it’d be a massive boost as he clearly knows him so well.

He rates the one to be on at present.

Posted at 1615 BST on 21/09/20

Antepost Angle - 2020 Flat season winners

• 1pt e.w. Love in QIPCO 1000 Guineas at 16/1
• 1pt e.w. Love in Investec Oaks at 20/1
• 0.5pts e.w. Frankly Darling in Investec Oaks at 66/1

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