O’Brien hopes Delacroix avoids ‘farce’ repeat vs. Ombudsman

Coming off what he called “a bit of a farce” in a loss to rival Ombudsman, trainer Aidan O’Brien hopes Delacroix can sign off on a winning note in a blockbuster edition of the Group 1 Champion Stakes on British Champions day Saturday at Ascot, England.

Delacroix gets her third duel this season against Ombudsman, the world’s highest-rated horse. O’Brien’s runner unleashed a devastating burst to wear down Ombudsman in the Eclipse (G1) at Sandown but was 3 1/2 lengths behind the Godolphin colt in a tactical renewal of the International (G1) at York.

Flashback: Ombudsman wins International Stakes.

Delacroix franked the form in no uncertain terms last month with a dominant display in the Irish Champion Stakes (G1), in which he beat 2024 British Champion hero Anmaat by three-quarters of a length.

Speaking on a media call Thursday, O’Brien said, “We went gently with Delacroix after the Irish Champion Stakes and had our eye on this race while we waited for the lads to decide whether they wanted to go or not.

“The Eclipse was a normal-run race, really. Delacroix just had a lot of things to overcome to win, and he did. York was a bit of a farce, and you would not see that type of race in a small conditions race let alone a big Group 1 race like that.

“The plan in York was to follow the pacemaker if nobody else was going to, but it did not work out that way. Nobody wanted the race to happen the way it did, but it happened and hopefully Saturday is a properly run race.

“Races like this are what everybody does it for. We all want to see the best horses meeting on the big days all the time and the races being as competitive and as fair as possible. Whether it is owners, breeders, spectators, punters, that is what everybody wants.”

O’Brien has 11 runners on British Champions day with his team also including Stay True in the upgraded British Champions Long Distance Cup (G1) and The Lion In Winter in the straight-mile Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1).

“We always felt Stay True was going to be this type of horse, more so for next year, but it is nice to let him compete in these races to get a feel about him for next year,” O’Brien said. “We felt he was not really there when he went to the St Leger. He got a bit tired, and we will learn more about him on Saturday.

“The Lion In Winter had a very good run the last day in France. We think he has gone the right way since then, his preparation has gone well, and we are looking forward to seeing what he does on a track like Ascot.”

Kalpana spearheads a strong team for Andrew Balding as she goes for a repeat win in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1) following her seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1)

City Of York Stakes (G1) victor Never So Brave lines up in the QEII already having won the Buckingham Palace Stakes and Summer Mile (G2) at the track this season. He is joined by stablemate Marvelman, an easy winner of the Park Stakes (G2) at Doncaster.

Balding saddles progressive duo Almeric and Fox Legacy in the Champion Stakes. Almeric has won both of his starts this season, most recently taking the listed Doonside Cup at Ayr, and Fox Legacy trounced some talented rivals in a conditions race at Goodwood in his latest start.

“I think Kalpana ran better than it looked at Longchamp,” Balding said. “The draw did not help, and she was forced a little wider than we wanted to be. It is less than two weeks ago, and she did have a hard race, which is the big question mark. It would be easier if they could talk, but reading the signs we can in terms of her appetite and appearance during exercise, she seems to have recovered well. I think she has an outstanding chance, and I would be disappointed if she does not win.

“We were very impressed by Marvelman at Doncaster. He has always threatened to be a high-class horse, and I think he is developing into that now. He is stepping up a furlong, which is an unknown, but we were keen to establish before his 4-year-old campaign whether a mile is within his range.

“Never So Brave has done nothing wrong this year. He was very impressive, pretty much carrying top weight in the Buckingham Palace at Royal Ascot, and then he won the Summer Mile on the round course at Ascot. Then he won a Group 1 over seven furlongs last time. He is a high-class horse and deserves his chance in this race.

“It was frustrating, because Almeric won the Feilden Stakes, beating a horse who has since won the Strensall Stakes, and they clocked a very good time figure on the day. He was entitled to come on for that and then got an injury, which meant he missed the French Derby (G1). I thought he looked good at Ayr albeit in another listed race, but he was carrying a penalty. We are pitching him in at the deep end, but hopefully in time he will be capable of mixing it at the top level.

“I think Fox Legacy has really found his feet. He had a couple of races close together, so we decided to keep him fresh for this race with the thought that it would cut up a bit, but I don’t think it has. It looks as deep a Champion Stakes as we have had for a few years, and the plan has slightly backfired, but he is a capable horse.

“I see Flora Of Bermuda is drawn 1 in the British Champions Sprint (G1). Let’s just hope there is a draw bias to the far side as this draw does not give us many options. She has been placed in three or four Group 1s, unlucky in a couple, and she really deserves to have her day in sun.”

Jérôme Reynier hopes Lazzat or Facteur Cheval can provide France with an eighth winner on British Champions day.

Lazzat is one of the leading contenders for the British Champions Sprint, having excelled over the course and distance when beating Satono Reve in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot.

“Lazzat was unreal at Royal Ascot,” Reynier said. “He looked very good that day. He had a battle with the Japanese contender, and I was scared the race was going to be tough on him, but physically and mentally he was the same afterwards.

“We were disappointed to be beaten in the Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1), but Sajir on the day was really good. In the Haydock Sprint Cup (G1), Lazzat was drawn in the middle, and there was a bias towards the stands’ rail. He was not beaten far but was always under pressure, which is not the way he is usually.

“This time he is spot on and back on a racecourse he has done so well at. He seems very happy to be back at home, because between the Maurice de Gheest and Haydock, he was based in Deauville, which is not the training environment he is used to. We have benchmarks in the mornings on what he can achieve, and honestly, he has been very well for the past few weeks. Now he needs to show the world that he is the best European sprinter.”

Facteur Cheval lines up in the QEII for a third consecutive year, having finished second behind Big Rock in 2023 and Charyn 12 months ago. The six-year-old has been off the track since finishing sixth in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot.

“Facteur Cheval was very tired after Royal Ascot and lost a bit of condition, so we gave him a lot of time during the summer,” Reynier said. “He was entered in the Prix du Moulin (G1) at Longchamp in September but it came too soon.

“Because he has run so well fresh, we thought it was good to go straight to the QEII, a race he has run really well in for the last two years. Those races were different scenarios as the ground was much softer, whereas this year it will be good ground, although he achieved one of his best results on good ground in Meydan when he won the Dubai Turf. It should not be a problem.

“There are some very good horses in the race, and he is a bit of an outsider at 16-1, but he showed he can compete with the best in the world in Dubai when winning at a big price.”