Four Group 1 races, one Group 2 and a handicap worth £1/4 million. Champions Day – not a bad afternoon of equine entertainment at Ascot this Saturday.
In terms of prize money, the Qipco Champion Stakes is the feature and what a corker of a renewal we’ve got this year!
Qipco British Champions Day is the big finale to the Flat racing season. The Turf season on the level, itself, doesn’t end until next month but this Saturday is the day that the champions are crowned. The best horses and jockeys from across the globe will be in action to compete for a record-breaking £4.3 million purse as they bid to follow in the hoof prints of former series stars. Champions Day, itself, came about when it was decided to merge historic meetings at Newmarket and Ascot and make them divisions of the British Champions Series.
This year looks set to be bigger and better than ever before, with George Ezra also playing his last UK gig of 2017 after racing to entertain the crowds. There will also be the presentation of the Stobart Champion Flat Jockey Award to Silvestre De Sousa taking place before the opening race.
The new champion has an interesting ride in the opening British Champions Long Distance Cup on DESERT SKYLINE.
David Elsworth’s three-year-old is a relatively new kid on the block in the staying division and in with the big boys this weekend but is on an upward curve, as evidenced by a smooth winning performance in the Doncaster Cup, and could reverse Goodwood Cup form with Stradivarius and Big Orange. The 10/1 with Boylesports is an agreeable each-way price.
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POET’S WORD was possibly an unlucky loser in the Irish equivalent of the Champion Stakes at Leopardstown and, at a best 7/1, is a viable alternative to favourite Cracksman in Saturday’s feature.
ZABEEL PRINCE is chasing a four-timer in the Balmoral Handicap and possibly still a step ahead of the handicapper, despite a penalty for a recent win at York. At a general 7/2, he is worth a bet in the last but the day’s best bet is reserved for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
RIBCHESTER was beaten by Here Comes When in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood but that result left even the normally-pragmatic Richard Fahey bemused. The Godolphin colt may not appreciated the mud that day and it would be a huge shock if the form was confirmed this weekend at Ascot. The four-year-old has since won the Prix Du Moulin at Chantilly and has won on two of his three visits to Ascot, his only defeat coming in this race last year at the end of an epic battle with brilliant filly Minding. Ribchester can hold off French raider Al Wukair and the fast-improving Beat The Bank and go one better than last year at the general 2/1.
Qipco Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Latest Betting
Ribchester 2/1, Churchill 4/1, Beat The Bank 5/1, Al Wukair 13/2, Thunder Snow 16/1, Here Comes When, Persuasive and Lightning Spear 25/1, Lancaster Bomber and Sir John Lavery 33/1, Sea Of Grace and Zonderland 40/1, Breton Rock and Nathra 50/1, Toscanini 100/1
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* All mentioned odds were valid at the time of writing. Betting odds are subject to fluctuations. Please check the current odds with the respective bookmaker!
