British Champions Day | Horse Racing Free Tips

Magical Set To Defend Her Title In Saturday’s QIPCO Champion Stakes

The £750,000 (approximately US$885,866) QIPCO Champion Stakes held on Saturday, Oct. 17, will be the richest race in Great Britain this year and looks set to be the race of the season with Magical and Addeybb, who dominated the finish of last year's renewal, renewing old rivalries again.

Magical prevailed by three-quarters of a length 12 months ago, after which her trainer Aidan O'Brien intimated she had run her final race.

However, the daughter of Galileo was kept in training and the decision has been handsomely rewarded, with the mare chalking up three more Group 1 victories (taking her overall haul to seven) and probably running as well as she's ever done when getting the better of Ghaiyyath, the world's highest-rated turf horse, to win a second Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown last time.

She could be joined in the line-up for the mile-and-a-quarter showpiece by star stablemates Serpentine, this year's Investec Derby winner, plus Mogul, winner of the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris, not to mention last year's Juddmonte International winner Japan, and Sovereign, winner of last year's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.

Addeybb has not rested on his laurels, either, chalking up two Group 1 victories in Australia in the spring before finishing runner-up in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot. He swiftly got back to winning ways in a Listed race at Ayr last time.

Standing in the way of the O'Brien contingent and Addeybb are two outstanding candidates trained by John Gosden in Mishriff, the Prix Du Jockey Club victor, and Lord North, emphatic winner of the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

Mishriff followed up his French Classic success by landing a Group 2 contest at Deauville, while Lord North was third behind Ghaiyyath and Magical in the Juddmonte International at York on his latest start.

Another fascinating runner among the home team is the William Muir-trained Pyledriver, who drops half a mile in distance after being beaten just over a length into third in the Pertemps St Leger at Doncaster last time. His exploits earlier in the season included emphatic wins in the King Edward VII Stakes, at Royal Ascot, and Sky Bet Great Voltigeur, at York.

Muir is delighted by the well-being of his stable flagbearer and is relishing dropping him back in distance. The trainer, seeking a first Group 1 win after 29 years with a licence, said: “He's getting stronger and is starting to retain his weight easier. His work has been good, the same as ever, and I'm very confident I've still got him at his best.

“I think if it hadn't been for this type of year, we would probably not run him over a mile and a six in the St Leger. You can't be dogmatic and say he didn't stay because he ground it out, but that was his class. He wasn't as effective because we took his gears and speed away from him. Martin [Dwyer] was sitting, waiting and having to hold him on to him when he wanted to kick.

“I'm not worried about the ground and the trip won't be a problem. Straight after he won the Voltigeur, the jockey went on TV and said he had the pace to win a Group 1 over a mile and a quarter.”

Pyledriver will be staying in training next year. Muir said: “We've got loads to look forward to with this horse and, no matter what else, the boys [the trio who own the horse] have had a fantastic time. We've enjoyed every minute of it and we've got next year and the year after with him, when we will be looking at the big races all around the world.”

Cirrus Des Aigles (2011) and Almanzor (2016) have been French-trained winners of the QIPCO Champion Stakes in the past decade and Skalleti will attempt to again take the prize across the Channel.

The 5-year-old grey, trained by Jerome Reynier, has won 12 of his 15 races and scooped the Group 2 Qatar Prix Dollar for a second time at Longchamp this month. Before that, he had mastered Sottsass, the subsequent Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, in a Group 3 contest at Deauville.

Other possibles among the 16 entries include three-time Group 1 winner Benbatl, who is also engaged in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO).

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G1SW Golden Horde Sore, Will Skip Champions Day

Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}) is out of contention for the Oct. 17 G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S. after sustaining a setback, the Racing Post reported on Sunday. The AlMohamediya Racing colourbearer won the G1 Commonwealth Cup S. at Royal Ascot earlier this season, before running third in the July 11 G1 Darley July Cup S. and fifth in the Aug. 9 G1 LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville. The 3-year-old colt reported home third in the G1 Betfair Sprint Cup S. at Haydock when last seen on Sept. 5.

“He’s not going to be confirmed tomorrow for the race, I’m sorry to say,” trainer Clive Cox told Racing Post. “He was found to be sore after his work on Wednesday and we’re just not happy with him. We’ll monitor the situation, but we’re not going to be able to sigh off the season as intended by running at Ascot. he’s been tremendously consistent and winning the Commonwealth Cup first time up this season was amazing.”

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Enable Could Make One More Start On British Champions Day

After a disappointing sixth over soggy ground in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Juddmonte's Enable could make one more start before closing out her star-studded career. According to the Racing Post, the 6-year-old daughter of Nathaniel is under consideration for the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes over 1 1/2 miles on Oct. 17 at Ascot.

Trainer John Gosden told racingpost.com: “Enable did one canter on Warren Hill this morning and seems fine after her trip to Paris. Whether she runs again or not is up to her owner Prince Khalid Abdullah and I think a decision about her future will be made after the weekend.”

Enable won two editions of the Arc, in 2017 and 2018, then finished second in 2019. She won the 2018 Breeders' Cup Turf, and three editions of the Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes in 2017, 2019, and 2020. Overall, the mare has earned a record of 15 wins from 19 starts.

Ghaiyyath, Magical Remain On Course For Epic Battle In Oct. 17 Champion Stakes

A star-studded cast remains on course for the 10th running of QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday, Oct. 17 after the latest forfeit stage on Tuesday.

This includes a record number of acceptors at this stage for the headline race of the day and the most valuable race this year, the QIPCO Champion Stakes, with 29 standing their ground.

The most valuable raceday in Great Britain this year remains on the cards for a string of headline acts including the world's highest-rated racehorse, Ghaiyyath, who could take his place in the QIPCO Champion Stakes against Magical, bidding to become the first horse to win a race at three different QIPCO British Champions Days.

Also still engaged are other equine A-Listers including Palace Pier, Kameko, Mishriff and Fancy Blue together with the Arc-bound trio Enable, Love and Stradivarius.

QIPCO British Champions Day features four Group 1 races, a Group 2 and a competitive mile handicap.

In total, 38 Group 1 winners remain entered and, between them, they have accumulated 84 victories at the highest level.

David Egan is counting down the days to the biggest ride of his short career, when he is due to be reunited with ante-post favorite Mishriff in the QIPCO Champion Stakes.

It has been a difficult year for most of course, but being unable to partner Prince Faisal's hugely progressive colt in either the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly or the Prix Guillaume D'Ornano at Deauville has made it especially difficult from a professional point of view for former champion apprentice Egan – not that he is one to dwell on the negatives.

The 21-year-old, who missed the French Derby owing to coronavirus travel restrictions and then Deauville through an untimely suspension, said: “Everyone has been affected by coronavirus and there are much more important things to worry about than missing those rides. That kind of thing goes with the job, and I'm just delighted that Mishriff has gone on to prove himself a champion and that I'm lucky enough to be able to get back on him.”

It would be perfectly understandable if Egan watched Mishriff's French wins with mixed feelings, but he said: “Look, I'm retained by Prince Faisal and so I want his horses to do as well as they can, whether I'm the one riding them or not. I was over the moon watching Mishriff win the French Derby, thinking I'd be able to ride him next time, and then it was just unfortunate I couldn't get back on him at Deauville. But I've had some good days on him, and hopefully there will be many more.”

Egan grew up in a family steeped in racing, as a son of jockey John Egan and trainer Sandra Hughes, a nephew of three-time champion jockey Richard Hughes, and a grandson of the legendary Dessie Hughes, so he is unlikely to be troubled by big-race nerves at Ascot.

He has complete confidence in Mishriff and he is excited at the possibility of winning such a prestigious race on such a huge occasion.

He said: “I rode Mishriff for the first time when he won by ten lengths at Nottingham last year, and then I was on him again when he was a good second in the Saudi Derby, when he made up a lot of ground in the straight after being a bit slow out of the gates.

“When we went to Newmarket in June most people seemed to be expecting his stable-mate Waldkonig to win, but Mishriff showed he was still improving by winning really well. He's gone on improving since, and it's been great to see. It's a privilege to ride him.

“He's so straightforward and he really tries for you. He's got a very low head carriage and he just eats up the ground. He's gone on good going, he's gone on bottomless ground and he's gone on dirt, so he's very genuine and versatile.”

The QIPCO Champion Stakes has long been Mishriff's target and John Gosden is optimistic of a third win in the race following two wide-margin victories by Cracksman.

Mishriff sets a high standard and Egan is well up to the task.

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