British Champions Day could showcase Breeders' Cup talent
Three weeks out from the Breeders’ Cup, some of the best horses in Europe will take center stage in the British Champions Day races at Ascot on Saturday.
It’s not uncommon for British Champions Day to fall just two weeks prior to the Breeders’ Cup, making it difficult for Britain’s best to wheel back on short rest for a trip to North America. But the longer gap between the two championship events in 2020 could make the British Champions Day/Breeders’ Cup double more appealing to the connections of big-name runners.
Speaking of which, let’s preview some of the most prominent horses entered in the five feature events on British Champions Day:
Saturday, October 17
Race 1, British Champions Long Distance Cup (G2, 8:20 a.m. ET)
After a couple of unsuccessful runs over 1 1/2 miles, including a seventh-place effort in the coveted Prix de l’Arc de Triumphe (G1), superstar stayer Stradivarius will return to a more suitable distance in the British Champions Long Distance Cup.
Racing two miles should be perfect for Stradivarius, who has accumulated 14 group stakes wins during his decorated career. The John Gosden trainee retains the services of popular jockey Frankie Dettori and is heavily favored to win, though Stradivarius has been beaten in two of his three previous British Champions Long Distance Cup attempts. The ground at Ascot is often softer than Stradivarius prefers, introducing the possibility that a longshot could steal the show—perhaps Irish St. Leger (G1) winner Search for a Song or 2019 Jockey Club Derby winner Spanish Mission.
Race 2: British Champions Sprint (G1, 8:55 a.m. ET)
Dream of Dreams is a head away from being undefeated in three starts this season, parlaying a runner-up effort in the Diamond Jubilee (G1) at Royal Ascot into convincing victories in the Hungerford (G2) and Haydock Sprint Cup (G1). The 6-year-old veteran has really upped his game this year and looms as the horse to beat in the British Champions Sprint.
But Dream of Dreams has been soundly defeated in the last two editions of this race, so there’s a chance the expected soft ground at Ascot will trip him up. Such conditions shouldn’t faze One Master, the accomplished mare who finished a length away from victory in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). A three-time winner of the Prix de la Foret (G1) at Longchamp, One Master handles very soft ground just fine and can spring a British Champions Day surprise if Dream of Dreams falters.
Race 3: British Champions Fillies & Mares (G1, 9:30 a.m. ET)
Who will prevail in this competitive 1 1/2-mile event for fillies and mares? That’s a tough call. Princess of Wales’s (G2) winner Dame Malliot is favored off a respectable third-place effort in the Prix Vermeille (G1) behind the talented Tarnawa, but she’s hardly a standout. Wonderful Tonight handled Group 1 foes in the 1 3/4-mile Prix de Royallieu (G1), Antonio De Vega is 2-for-2 this year against easier company, Even So was a clear-cut winner of the Irish Oaks (G1), and Frankly Darling showed enough class to finish third in the Epsom Oaks (G1).
Regardless of how the race unfolds, don’t be surprised if the British Champions Fillies & Mares produces a contender or two for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1). There’s a lot of class and talent in the field, and any one of the favorites would warrant respect at Keeneland.
Race 4: Queen Elizabeth II (G1, 10:05 a.m. ET)
It takes a pretty special horse to be favored at odds-in a race as competitive as the 1-mile Queen Elizabeth II. Suffice to say, Palace Pier is a pretty special horse. The sensational 3-year-old is unbeaten in five starts for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori, arriving at Ascot off victories in the St. James’s Palace (G1) and Prix Jacques le Marois (G1).
Palace Pier is hovering in the ~3-5 range among British bookmakers, and he would be an even shorter price if not for the presence of several talented challengers. The Revenant finished second in the 2019 Queen Elizabeth II, but has otherwise been a winning machine with seven victories from his last eight starts. Circus Maximus nabbed the Queen Anne (G1) racing a mile at Ascot during the spring, and Lord Glitters won the same race in 2019.
It’s safe to say the Queen Elizabeth II is shaping up to be one of the most competitive turf miles held anywhere in the world this year. It’s a race you won’t want to miss.
Race 5: Champion Stakes (G1, 10:40 a.m. ET)
Aidan O’Brien’s tough-as-nails mare Magical figures to be tough to beat in the 1 1/4-mile Champion Stakes (G1), which could potentially propel the daughter of Galileo toward a start in the Breeders’ Cup. A seven-time Group 1 winner, Magical handled soft ground just fine when nabbing the 2019 Champion Stakes, and she enters the 2020 renewal off a gallant victory in the 1 1/4-mile Irish Champion Stakes (G1) at Leopardstown.
Magical’s performance in the Irish Champion Stakes was exceptional, considering she defeated four-time Group 1 winner Ghaiyyath and future Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) winner Sottsass. She’ll face quality competition again at Ascot, including her Group 1-winning stablemates Japan and Serpentine, the improving Prix du Jockey Club (G1) winner Mishriff, and the runaway Princes of Wales’s (G1) winner Lord North. But if Magical brings her A-game—and there’s no reason to think she won’t—the rest may be running for second place.