It’s the final day of the Flat season and champions will be crowned at Ascot on Saturday.
Four Group 1s are sandwiched between a Group 2 for the stayers and a red-hot handicap to conclude the campaign before attention turns to the jumps for most punters.
The ITV cameras are in town for all six races and our expert, Clive Gildon, provides a selection and next best bet in all of them.
1.20 - Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup
Kyprios has become one of the most popular horses in training and for good reason given his exploits in the staying division. However, this may be a good time to take him on as there is less between the favourite and Trawlerman than the market implies.
The score reads 1-1 as Trawlerman beat Kyprios in this race last season before the runner-up had his revenge in the Gold Cup. There was only a length between them that day. Kyprios ran slightly below his best in the Prix du Cadran two weeks ago and there is a chance that a long, hard season will catch up with him at Ascot against his old foe, who has been kept back for this race. The drop back to just under 2m from the Gold Cup trip also looks in the selection’s favour.
SELECTION: TRAWLERMAN
NEXT BEST: KYPRIOS
1.55 - Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes
The Champions Sprint is as open a race as you could wish to see and it is fair to say that these sprinters have been beating each other throughout the season. Nothing stands out, with Kinross deemed slightly past his best and probably best over 7f. Kind Of Blue’s profile is fascinating as he only made his debut in April and has come a long way since, progressing to finish second in the Sprint Cup last time.
He has the pedigree as two of his relatives landed this race for James Fanshawe. But he might have been flattered at Haydock and slight preference is for Mill Stream, whose July Cup success earlier in the season is one of the standout pieces of form. He seems certain to appreciate the ease underfoot, with his best two performances of last season occurring on such terrain.
SELECTION: MILL STREAM
NEXT BEST: KIND OF BLUE
2.35 - Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes
Kalpana is the one to beat in the Fillies & Mares as she has looked on the cusp of being top class on her past two starts, showing a potent turn of foot to decisively land two slowly-run 1m4f contests at a lower level. The concern is whether she ideally wants a war of attrition on soft ground, a set of circumstances that will undoubtedly play to the strengths of Quantanamera.
German-trained horses are often wrongly overlooked in British markets and this filly’s comprehensive defeat of St Leger second Arrest on testing conditions at Deauville last time reads well. The best alternative is Tiffany for Sir Mark Prescott. The daughter of Farhh is another who can thrive for this examination and she is something of a winning machine who looks ready for a crack at the highest level.
SELECTION: QUANTANAMERA
NEXT BEST: TIFFANY
3.15 - Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
Charyn’s busy season that began on Lincoln day in March could prove his undoing in the QEII and the formbook suggests he is slightly superior on a sound surface. This is arguably the best mile field that has assembled all season, and while Metropolitan and Quddwah have a bit to find with the hot favourite on their meeting in the Prix Jacques le Marois in August, both arrive fresh from 69-day breaks and have only 11 starts between them compared with Charyn’s 17.
That gives every hope that there is more to come and Metropolitan is edging preference with proven course form and a penchant for give in the ground, something Quddwah still needs to prove for Simon and Ed Crisford. He has improved his Racing Post Ratings with every start and another few pounds of progression would ensure he is seriously competitive.
SELECTION: METROPOLITAN
NEXT BEST: QUDDWAH
3.55 - Qipco Champion Stakes
The Champion Stakes is one of the races of the season and sees an electrifying clash between Economics and Calandagan. There is precious little to split the pair. Calandagan ran a corker in the Juddmonte International behind City Of Troy last time and he had subsequent Arc winner Bluestocking well beaten there. But there is a chance that Economics could yet be as good as City Of Troy and possibly even better.
This Night of Thunder colt has gone from strength to strength since bursting on to the scene with a runaway success in the Dante and he won the Irish Champion Stakes last time despite not everything going his way. He was wider than ideal round the bend and may not have ideally wanted a test that sharp. Softer conditions could spark an improved effort from William Haggas’s star.
SELECTION: ECONOMICS
NEXT BEST: CALANDAGAN
4.45 - Balmoral Handicap
Cases can be made for plenty in the Balmoral Handicap that concludes Champions Day and the Haggas-trained Elnajmm merits consideration in first-time cheekpieces. He has course-and-distance form in the book and there is every chance we are yet to see his best, with a wide draw catching him out badly at York in the summer before he ran okay when strongly supported for a Listed race at Sandown.
However, Mr Professor is dangerous to overlook as a Lincoln winner earlier in the campaign on soft ground. The niggling doubt is the fact he hasn’t been seen in 121 days, but the fact his Lincoln success came following 135 days away alleviates that concern. He needs soft ground and subsequent defeats at Ascot and Newmarket on far quicker conditions are easy to forgive. His Lincoln victory, which came in an excellent time, is top handicap form and he is only 5lb higher on this occasion.
SELECTION: MR PROFESSOR
NEXT BEST: ELNAJMM
