That’s all the action for Champions Day 2015. Hope you backed a winner or two!
Balmoral Handicap (3.45pm) result
1 Musaddas (Edward Greatrex) 7-1
2 Gm Hopkins (R Havlin) 10-1
3 Master The World (R L Moore) 14-1
4 Donncha (Andrea Atzeni) 20-1
20 ran
Also: 13-2 Fav Balty Boys
Tote: win 9.00 places 2.30 3.10 3.20 6.10
Tote Exacta: 97.40
CSF: 72.76
Tricast: 1019.11
Balmoral Handicap (3.45pm) betting
- Sacrificial 6-1
- Buckstay 7-1
- Gm Hopkins 10-1
- Master The World 10-1
- 12-1 bar Click here for up-to-date betting
Rock proves Champion for Weld
Fascinating Rock ran down Jack Hobbs to spring a surprise in the Qipco British Champion Stakes at Ascot.
Jack Hobbs, the Irish Derby hero, looked like collecting from his wide draw when he hit the front early in the straight after taking over from his pacemaker Maverick Wave.
However, the evens favourite pricked his ears and did not open an immediate advantage.
Pat Smullen delivered the 10-1 winner with a telling run to lead inside the final furlong and Dermot Weld’s four-year-old went on to take the mile-and-a-quarter feature by a length and a quarter.
Found stayed on from the rear to claim second place, half a length ahead of Jack Hobbs.
Smullen said: “Our horses fly around here. I think he has been an underestimated horse, the ground and everything else was right for him today.
“They went fast, there was a good ease in the ground and 10 furlongs is his right trip.
“He’s a very good horse and is improving all the time, you can see how big he is - he can only improve.
“I wanted to be closer than I was, but they went so fast so I sat back and decided to take my chances.” PA
Pat Smullen & Fascinating Rock return to the Parade Ring as Champion Stakes victors #ChampionsDay pic.twitter.com/r9NdS27zR6
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) October 17, 2015
Chris Cook's preview: Balmoral Handicap (3.45pm)
Buckstay may be able to follow up his recent win in a similar race. His strong-finishing style could get him into trouble in a big field on a track that has been narrowed for this day but he has an extra furlong to get there and the fitting of cheekpieces really seems to have made a difference.
Updated
Champion Stakes (3.05pm) result
1 Fascinating Rock (P J Smullen) 10-1
2 Found (R L Moore) 9-2
3 Jack Hobbs (W Buick) Evens Fav
13 ran
Also: 16-1 Racing History 4th
Tote: win 12.10 places 3.10 1.70 1.10
Tote Exacta: 63.80
CSF: 53.84
Tricast: 86.71
Updated
Solow sails home in QEII Stakes
Solow took his winning sequence to nine when recording his fifth successive Group One victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.
Freddy Head’s talented grey was never far off a ferocious pace set by Elm Park and Kodi Bear before stamping his authority in the top European mile race.
Maxime Guyon pressed the button and the 11-10 favourite went away to score comfortably by three-quarters of a length. Belardo (33-1) was a length and a half away with Gabrial a further length and a half away in third.
Aidan O’Brien’s Gleneagles took his chance after connections had thought long and hard before allowing him to run, but he never looked like justifying their tough decision on far from ideal ground.
Head said of his winner, who is two from two at Ascot having won the Queen Anne at the Royal meeting: “He’s very special. To be able to keep his form like that all year with all those journeys he’s made and every racecourse.
“He’s very sound, he’s easy to train and does whatever you want at home. He’s bred to get much further so earlier in his career I tried to turn him into a stayer and then he got beat. He was working so well at home so I put him over shorter.”
O’Brien said of sixth-placed Gleneagles: “He had been trained for four races and had not had a break all summer. We knew it was going to be tough to come here and especially in the ground.
“If I had the choice again I would probably say not run him, like we did the other times.
“We had our eye on the Breeders’ Cup Classic and if he was going there he had to run. We took a chance and the race was a little messy. He’s a fast-ground horse.
“About the Classic we’ll have to see how he is. Everyone will talk about it and decide what’s best.
“There were a lot of pros in running him but it didn’t work for us on the day. He seems to be fine after it and we’ll see what he’s like in the next few days.” PA
Vive ... errrr.. la France? #solow #ChampionsDay #Ascot pic.twitter.com/qgJNc3wldh
— Greg Wood (@Greg_Wood_) October 17, 2015
Updated
Champion Stakes (3.05) betting
- Jack Hobbs 5-4
- Found 4-1
- Vadamos 6-1
- The Corsican 10-1
- Racing History 14-1
- Fascinating Rock 16-1
- Ribbons 20-1
- 33-1 bar Click here for up-to-date betting
Chris Cook's race preview: Champion Stakes (3.05)
John Gosden has been fretting about a wide draw for his Jack Hobbs (3.05) in the Champion Stakes but the difficulty of stall 12 can be overplayed when, so far as we can tell, this three-year-old is clearly the best horse in this race and has significant potential to be better than he has so far shown.
Beaten only by Golden Horn in his six starts so far, Jack Hobbs seized his opportunity when that rival was absent to land the Irish Derby, after which he was given a midsummer break that should help here. This distance is short of his ideal but some cut in the ground will help.
His main rival, Found, will doubtless benefit from an excellent Ryan Moore ride but she is not much better drawn than him. Vadamos is the one truly unknown quantity but his wins this year don’t quite entitle him to land this.
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (2.30pm) result
1 Solow (M Guyon) 11-10 Fav
2 Belardo (James Doyle) 33-1
3 Gabrial (P Hanagan) 66-1
9 ran
Also: 20-1 Integral 4th
CSF: 52.79
Tricast: 1641.99
Updated
11-10 Solow and 5-2 Gleneagles now. “The Lads” aren’t getting on for sure.
Gleneagles may be running in the QEII, but the principal support is all for one horse... #ChampionsDay pic.twitter.com/S9wQCgEFbj
— Channel 4 Racing (@Channel4Racing) October 17, 2015
Simple Verse claims Fillies & Mares Stakes
Simple Verse won her second Group One race in rather less controversial circumstances with a game display in the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot.
Demoted after being first past the post in the Ladbrokes St Leger and reinstated on appeal, the Ralph Beckett-trained filly was a worthy winner as she wore down Journey in the hands of Andrea Atzeni.
Frankie Dettori stole a handy lead on John Gosden’s supplemented charge and looked like collecting, but the stamina of Simple Verse (5-1) kicked in and she asserted close home to win by three-quarters of a length. Beautiful Romance was two lengths away in third.
Atzeni said: “Frankie took a few lengths out of me, but I knew my filly would stay to the very end. I got a lovely lead into the race, she picked up well and she can only get better.”
Atzeni will soon leave his role as retained rider to owner Sheikh Fahad and added: “I’m grateful to Sheikh Fahad and his brothers - Sheikh Fahad has been a great boss to me this season and to end the season with a big winner is great.”
Titanic finish to the Fillies & Mares, with St Leger winner Simple Verse grabbing Journey close home #ChampionsDay pic.twitter.com/HrVO5kFxjQ
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) October 17, 2015
Updated
QEII Stakes betting
- Solow 13-8
- Gleneagles 7-4
- Kodi Bear 8-1
- Territories 9-1
- Elm Park 16-1
- Integral 20-1
- Belardo 50-1
- Top Notch Tonto 66-1
- Gabrial 100-1 Click here for up-to-date betting
Chris Cook's race preview: QEII Stakes (2.30)
It’s an indication of how precious the Ballydoyle team have been with Gleneagles that all the other Champions Day entrants have run at some point in the past 100 days, while he has not been seen for 123. In the meantime, the form of his latest win has not worked out, though there is little doubt that he was an excellent animal in the early summer. What he might be now is anyone’s guess but it would be nice to find out. With some cut in the ground expected, I prefer the claims of Solow, a handsome beast on an eight-win streak who gives the impression he may yet have unexplored reserves.
Updated
Fillies & Mares Stakes (1.55pm) result
1 Simple Verse (Andrea Atzeni) 5-1
2 Journey (L Dettori) 7-1
3 Beautiful Romance (James Doyle) 20-1
12 ran
Also: 4-1 Fav Covert Love 4th
Tote: win 5.90 places 2.40 2.10 5.60
Tote Exacta: 36.70
CSF: 37.38
Tricast: 647.74
Gleneagles WILL run
Our reporter Greg Wood has got the news first
Michael Tabor just confirmed to me that #Gleneagles WILL run in QEII at #Ascot
— Greg Wood (@Greg_Wood_) October 17, 2015
Gleneagles spotted at the races
Gleneagles!!! #ChampionsDay pic.twitter.com/c84fuWedXD
— Richard Gibbons (@davis200439) October 17, 2015
Muhaarar will be retired and miss the Breeders’ Cup
Owner Sheik Hamdan confirms his Champion Sprint winner Muhaarar will be retired and miss the @BreedersCup #ascot
— marcus townend (@captheath) October 17, 2015
Owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum said: “I think in six weeks he had three races, all Group Ones, and we gave him a break and aimed for this race.
“This is a special day for the horse and the crowd and he has proven he’s a good horse.
“We were thinking of America, we know the horse can stay a mile now. All the sprinters in Europe go straight, but in America they go round a turn. In Kentucky they go one furlong then turn and turn, so I don’t think it will suit him.”
Updated
Bruce Millington, Racing Post editor, not mincing his words where Gleneagles concerned
Still no official word on Gleneagles running. Here's my official word for that: unacceptable.
— Bruce Millington (@brucemillington) October 17, 2015
Fillies & Mares Stakes (1.55pm) betting
- Covert Love 11-2
- Simple Verse 11-2
- Candarliya 11-2
- Sea Calisi 6-1
- Journey 7-1
- Tapestry 9-1
- Arabian Queen 12-1
- Beautiful Romance 16-1
- Speedy Boarding 20-1
- 25-1 bar Click here for up-to-date betting
Chris Cook's race preview: Fillies & Mares Stakes (1.55)
Tapestry can be forgiven her poor effort in the Arc on ground that had gone against her. If she can return to something like the form of her Yorkshire Oaks win last year, she would be hard to beat here and the going should suit.
Muhaarar scintillating in Champions Sprint Stakes
Muhaarar won his fourth straight Group One with a scintillating display in the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot.
The Charlie Hills-trained three-year-old was always up with the pace and travelling sweetly for Paul Hanagan.
Asked to win his race over a furlong out, the 5-2 favourite quickly put matters to bed to confirm his position as the best six-furlong horse around.
He went on to win by two lengths from Twilight Son, with Danzeno a length and a half away in third and The Tin Man fourth.
Hanagan said: “I’m delighted for everyone, it’s a great job by Charlie and the whole team. He’d had a long time off and the worry was he would get too fresh, but they’ve done a great job with him.
“It’s been a long year for him, but he’s got such a fantastic temperament.
“I was getting there a bit too early, but I always thought he might like a bit of cut in the ground and it was never in doubt.” PA
Four Group 1 sprints & you still have to chase the @Channel4Racing cameraman into the winners' enclosure #Muhaarar pic.twitter.com/32FFNdAZY2
— The Jockey Club (@TheJockeyClub) October 17, 2015
Paul Smith, one of the co-owners says “it’s more than likely” that Gleneagles will run, reports Nick Luck on Channel 4 racing.
NEWS: Paul Smith, son of co-owner Derrick Smith, tells us "it's more likely than not" that GLENEAGLES will run in the QEII #ChampionsDay
— Channel 4 Racing (@Channel4Racing) October 17, 2015
Updated
Even ‘Tommo’ reporting Gleneagles might be allowed to go in the starting stalls
Gleneagles 'likely' to run!
— Derek Thompson (@tommoracing) October 17, 2015
Rumours building that Gleneagles will run
I understand Gleneagles is likely to run
— Oliver Brett (@sport_oliver) October 17, 2015
Champions Sprint Stakes (1.20pm) result
1 Muhaarar (P Hanagan) 5-2 Fav
2 Twilight Son (R L Moore) 4-1
3 Danzeno (L Dettori) 12-1
20 ran
Also: 10-1 The Tin Man 4th
Tote: win 3.30 places 2.10 1.90 4.00
Tote Exacta: 14.00
CSF: 9.65
Tricast: 108.85
Updated
Muhaarar romps home
The 5-2 favourite, Muhaarar, put up probably his best performance of the year when winning the British Champions Sprint Stakes, his fourth Group One success of the year. There was never any danger of defeat when Paul Hanagan kicked the eventual winner clear and he came home clear of fellow three-year-old Twilight Son with the Frankie Dettori-ridden Danzeno back in third.
Champions Sprint Stakes (1.20pm) betting
- Muhaarar 5-2
- Twilight Son 5-1
- Strath Burn 17-2
- The Tin Man 9-1
- Adaay 14-1
- Danzeno 16-1
- Gordon Lord Byron 20-1
- Maarek 20-1
- 25-1 bar Click here for the latest betting
Updated
Chris Cook's race preview: Champions Sprint (1.20)
Muhaarar must be the form pick but his odds reflect that and there is the possibility that he may have been drawn on the wrong side, away from the far rail. That is still more of a problem for another Group One winner, Twilight Son, but Strath Burn may have been luckier in stall five and he looked unlucky when narrowly failing to catch Twilight Son from a poor draw at Haydock last time.
Officer gives Frankie a flyer
Frankie Dettori continued his stellar season when striking on Flying Officer in the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot.
The Derby and Arc-winning rider brought Flying Officer (6-1) with a great run in the straight to take the Group Two two-mile test.
John Gosden’s five-year-old, now unbeaten in three starts in 2015, showed a fine turn of foot to lead two out and take a few lengths out of the field, just as there was trouble behind involving several runners, among them last year’s winner Forgotten Rules.
Clever Cookie came with a late run, but was a length down at the line. Wicklow Brave was the same distance away in third.
Dettori - like Gosden celebrating a first success on Champions Day - said: “He was very brave for me, I managed to get a split in the straight and he won well. He’s got very low mileage and he’s unbeaten this year - he’s on the way up. He’s a big unit, for sure.” PA
Frankie Dettori: "I could hear a lot of shouting out the back but I was gone" #ChampionsDay pic.twitter.com/F4KKU69e8r
— Racing UK (@Racing_UK) October 17, 2015
Long Distance Cup (12.45pm) result
1 Flying Officer (L Dettori) 6-1
2 Clever Cookie (G Lee) 8-1
3 Wicklow Brave (R L Moore) 10-1
13 ran
Also: 9-2 Jt Fav Agent Murphy, Forgotten Rules, 8-1 Pallasator 4th
Tote: win 5.80 places 2.10 2.70 2.70
Tote Exacta: 51.20
CSF: 46.93
Tricast: 477.82
Stewards’ inquiry
Updated
Ground reports from jockeys after the opener
The riders in the first race agree with the official description of ‘good to soft’. That may not be good news for all those wanting to see Gleneagles run, though Frankie Dettori says “the horses are going through it”.
“It’s good to soft in the straight but they’re going through it. It’s not dead ground” - Frankie Dettori on the ground at Ascot #BCD
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) October 17, 2015
Flying start for Frankie
Frankie Dettori, who has had such an outstanding season, shows why there’s no one better around Ascot with a superbly tactical ride on Flying Officer to win the Long Distance Cup. About five furlongs out the jockey made a key decision to take much closer order when he realised the pace was slow and he was in a perfect position on the turn for home.
An opening winner for Frankie Dettori and John Gosden as Flying Officer lands the Long Distance Cup #ChampionsDay pic.twitter.com/lbKPXugjNJ
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) October 17, 2015
Gleneagles: will he/won’t he run?
Nick Luck has opened the Channel 4 coverage by, rightly, stating that expectations for Champions Day amongst the crowd turning up will be lifted if Aidan O’Brien’s runner is given the go-ahead to take part in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Here’s Greg Wood’s news story overnight covering all the angles. The colt is at the track and O’Brien is expected to decide after he has spoken to his stable jockey, Ryan Moore, following the first two races.
Long Distance Cup (12.45pm) betting
- Agent Murphy 6-1
- Forgotten Rules 6-1
- Flying Officer 15-2
- Clever Cookie 15-1
- Litigant 8-1
- Pallasator 9-1
- Wicklow Brave 10-1
- Amour De Nuit 20-1
- Clondaw Warrior 20-1
- Suegioo 25-1
- Gale Force 25-1
- Hidden Gold 33-1
- Simenon 33-1 Click on this link to keep up to date with the betting
Silvestre De Sousa crowned 2015 Flat season Stobart Champion Jockey
Silvestre De Sousa is crowned Stobart Champion Jockey! #ChampionsDay #JockeyChamps https://t.co/bsziwWrtGS
— Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) October 17, 2015
Silvestre De Sousa, who has long been well ahead of the pack, has been officially crowned the champion jockey at a ceremony before racing at Ascot. He gets a nice trophy and a fat £25,000 cheque.
Here’s Don McRae’s interview with the Brazilian rider.
Trip To Paris runs excellent Melbourne Cup trial
The Ed Dunlop-trained Trip To Paris was cut to 8-1 from 25s by Sky Bet for the Melbourne Cup following his excellent run when second to favourite Mongolian Khan in the Group One BMW Caulfield Cup overnight and Robin Trevor-Jones, who is overseeing his preparation, is eager to see how he comes out of the race.
“We’ll have a look - we’ve got to see how he pulls up from this,” Trevor-Jones told http://www.racing.com “Decisions have got to be made (about) what we do and exactly what happens. The plan is, obviously, to go for a Melbourne Cup.
“We’ll just have to look at him in the morning and see how he is, and we’ll work our way from there. I told everybody before he wasn’t slow, but I don’t think they listened to me.
“Of course he can [win the Melbourne Cup]. Remember, he stands next to a big chestnut [Red Cadeaux] in the next stall who’ll take some beating as well.”
Red Cadeaux has finished second in the Melbourne Cup on three occasions and Trevor-Jones added: “It’s going to be very sweet when I hit that first spot. It’ll come.”
Chris Cook's race preview: Long Distance Cup (12.45)
As a handicapper with legs of spun sugar, Litigant does not have the most attractive profile but his Ebor success was deeply impressive, while his previous win had suggested he could be a Group horse. He has clearly had his problems but his strike-rate when he actually makes it to the track is impressive.
Welcome to Champions Day
You can follow all the action or inaction (if Gleneagles gets pulled out) here on what is the most valuable day’s racing ever staged in this country, with £4.1m up for grabs.
The Champion Stakes (with hot favourite Jack Hobbs) and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Solow v The Scarlet Pimpernel) are the highlights but there are four Group One races in total and racing kicks off at 12.45pm with the Group Two Long Distance Cup.
What you will want to know is what is going to win, of course, and you can read our chief tipster Chris Cook’s thoughts on the glittering card below.
Jack Hobbs can thrive after break
John Gosden has been fretting about a wide draw for his Jack Hobbs (3.05) in the Champion Stakes but the difficulty of stall 12 can be overplayed when, so far as we can tell, this three-year-old is clearly the best horse in this race and has significant potential to be better than he has so far shown.
Beaten only by Golden Horn in his six starts so far, Jack Hobbs seized his opportunity when that rival was absent to land the Irish Derby, after which he was given a midsummer break that should help here. This distance is short of his ideal but some cut in the ground will help.
His main rival, Found, will doubtless benefit from an excellent Ryan Moore ride but she is not much better drawn than him. Vadamos is the one truly unknown quantity but his wins this year don’t quite entitle him to land this.
12.45 Ascot: As a handicapper with legs of spun sugar, Litigant does not have the most attractive profile but his Ebor success was deeply impressive, while his previous win had suggested he could be a Group horse. He has clearly had his problems but his strike-rate when he actually makes it to the track is impressive.
1.20 Ascot: Muhaarar must be the form pick but his odds reflect that and there is the possibility that he may have been drawn on the wrong side, away from the far rail. That is still more of a problem for another Group One winner, Twilight Son, but Strath Burn may have been luckier in stall five and he looked unlucky when narrowly failing to catch Twilight Son from a poor draw at Haydock last time.
1.55 Ascot: Tapestry can be forgiven her poor effort in the Arc on ground that had gone against her. If she can return to something like the form of her Yorkshire Oaks win last year, she would be hard to beat here and the going should suit.
2.30 Ascot: It’s an indication of how precious the Ballydoyle team have been with Gleneagles that all the other Champions Day entrants have run at some point in the past 100 days, while he has not been seen for 123. In the meantime, the form of his latest win has not worked out, though there is little doubt that he was an excellent animal in the early summer. What he might be now is anyone’s guess but it would be nice to find out. With some cut in the ground expected, I prefer the claims of Solow, a handsome beast on an eight-win streak who gives the impression he may yet have unexplored reserves.
3.45 Ascot: Buckstay may be able to follow up his recent win in a similar race. His strong-finishing style could get him into trouble in a big field on a track that has been narrowed for this day but he has an extra furlong to get there and the fitting of cheekpieces really seems to have made a difference.
Updated
