British Champions day brings final Breeders’ Cup qualifiers

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series wraps up this Saturday with a final pair of qualifiers at Ascot in England.

The 1 1/4-mile Champion (G1) awards a win and you're in berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf, while the one-mile Queen Elizabeth II (G1) qualifies the winner to the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Both races have drawn strong fields, as have the other three British Champions day races on the Saturday agenda. Due to heavy rainfall the Champion, British Champions Long Distance Cup (G2) and British Champions Fillies & Mares (G1) has been transferred to the inner flat course.

Let’s take a quick look at the fields for the five group stakes events:

Race 1: British Champions Long Distance Cup (G2), 8:15 a.m. EDT

The race least likely to have an impact on the Breeders’ Cup is the two-mile British Champions Long Distance Cup, though it’s still an excellent race. Defending winner Trueshan enters off victories in the 2 1/4-mile Doncaster Cup (G2) and 2 1/2-mile Prix du Cadran (G1), but he’ll have to be sharp to beat Kyprios.

Kyprios won four consecutive Group 1 marathons in 2022, including the 2 1/2-mile Gold Cup (G1) at Royal Ascot. He recently ended a long layoff with a runner-up finish in the 1 3/4-mile Irish St. Leger (G1) and should be ready to move forward in his second run of the season for internationally renowned trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Other notable names in the field include 2022 British Champions Long Distance Cup runner-up Coltrane and 2021 Breeders’ Cup Turf second-place finisher Broome, who has developed into a capable grass marathoner.

Race 2: British Champions Sprint (G1), 8:50 a.m. EDT

The heavy favorite to win the six-furlong British Champions Sprint is Kinross, who nabbed this prize by 2 1/4 lengths in 2022. That victory marked the culmination of a four-race win streak that snapped when Kinross shipped to the U.S. and finished a close third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile three weeks later.

Kinross remains in strong form, most recently finishing second by half a length in the Prix de la Foret (G1) racing 1,400 meters, or about seven furlongs, in France. This year, there’s only two weeks between British Champions day and the Breeders’ Cup, but sprinting a mere six furlongs in the British Champions Sprint will ideally leave Kinross with enough in the tank for a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Race 3: British Champions Fillies & Mares (G1), 9:25 a.m. EDT

At least on paper, one of the most wide-open contests of the day is the 1 1/2-mile British Champions Fillies & Mares. A large field of 14 has been entered, and there isn’t anything resembling a standout favorite.

Free Wind could wind up as the top betting choice for the high-profile team of jockey Frankie Dettori and trainers John and Thady Gosden. She exits a run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) against males and previously ran second by a head against fellow fillies and mares in the 1 1/2-mile Yorkshire Oaks (G1).

But logical challengers are plentiful. Jackie Oh was beaten only a neck when second in the Prix de l’Opera (G1) and will be tough for Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien if she handles stretching out over 1 1/2 miles for the first time. Time Lock has won two straight races, including the 1 1/2-mile Princess Royal (G3) at Newmarket by 4 1/4 lengths. And don’t forget about Above the Curve, who won the 2022 Prix Saint-Alary (G1) over 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles).

There are enough talented fillies and mares in this field that it wouldn’t be surprising to see one turn up in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf two weeks from now.

Race 4: Queen Elizabeth II (G1), 10:05 a.m. EDT

The big favorite for the Queen Elizabeth II is Aidan O’Brien’s decorated 3-year-old Paddington. During a glorious spring-summer campaign, Paddington rattled off six consecutive victories highlighted by scores in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (G1), St James’s Palace (G1), Eclipse (G1) and Sussex (G1). The latter two wins came against older rivals, and all but the 1 1/4-mile Eclipse took place over one mile.

Paddington faltered to third place when stretching out over 1 5/16 miles for the Juddmonte International (G1) last time out, so cutting back to one mile should suit him just fine. In fact, racing one mile over soft ground at Ascot might be a perfect fit for Paddington, who is 4-for-4 racing over yielding-to-soft, soft and heavy turf.

That said, Paddington is facing a bevy of high-class rivals. The 3-year-old filly Tahiyra has won three straight top-level miles: the Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1), the Coronation (G1) and the Matron (G1). Nashwa, a 4-year-old filly, is a three-time Group 1 winner who dominated the one-mile Falmouth (G1) by five lengths during the summer. Big Rock has finished second in three straight Group 1 races, including two over a mile, and Chaldean finished second to Paddington in the St James’s Palace one start after winning the historic one-mile 2,000 Guineas (G1) at Newmarket.

To put it simply, the Queen Elizabeth II is a race you don’t want to miss.

Race 5: Champion (G1), 10:45 a.m. EDT

The Champion has come up a little light compared to some years, but Breeders’ Cup fans should pay special attention to the 1 1/4-mile race. The field includes the talented 3-year-old King of Steel, runner-up by half a length in Epsom’s famous Derby (G1) during the spring. The Roger Varian trainee has Frankie Dettori named to ride and has been mentioned in the past as a possible Breeders’ Cup candidate, so a good run at Ascot could potentially trigger a trip to Santa Anita.

But King of Steel isn’t favored to win the Champion. Horizon Dore is receiving the most betting support after posting four consecutive victories in France, including three at the group stakes level. All four of his recent victories have come racing 2,000 meters over good-to-soft ground, and he won his debut over heavy ground, so the conditions at Ascot should be favorable for this up-and-coming 3-year-old gelding.

Among the older horses, defending Champion winner Bay Bridge warrants respect after finishing a decent sixth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The same goes for My Prospero, beaten half a length when third in this race last year and most recently victorious in the 1 1/4-mile Foundation over soft ground at Goodwood.

A possible wildcard is Mostahdaf, a 5-year-old John and Thady Gosden trainee. At Royal Ascot during the summer, he smashed the 1 1/4-mile Prince of Wales’s (G1) by four lengths, counting Bay Bridge and My Prospero among his beaten rivals. Mostahdaf followed up with a comfortable tally over Nashwa and Paddington in the 1 5/16-mile Juddmonte International (G1), but here’s the problem: he’s done his best work over good and good-to-firm ground, so tackling a much softer course at Ascot is a question mark.

Ground conditions shouldn’t be concerning to the 5-year-old mare Via Sistina, winner of the 1 1/4-mile Pretty Polly (G1) during the summer. Via Sistina exits a nose defeat in the 2,000-meter Prix Jean Romanet (G1) over very soft ground in France and won the 1 1/8-mile Dahlia (G2) over soft turf during the spring, so when it rains, Via Sistina can’t be counted out of the mix.