Magical's Bid a Highlight on Champions Day

Magical is back for more Oct. 17 in the QIPCO British Champion Stakes (G1) at Ascot Racecourse. In a year when her long-time nemesis Enable underwhelmed, the Aidan O'Brien-trained mare has had arguably her best season to date with three group 1 wins to her name already.

With seven successes at the highest level there is no doubting Magical is a high-class mare, but she had developed something of a reputation as the yardstick by which a truly exceptional group 1 horse is anointed.

She has finished second to Enable three times at the top table. Crystal Ocean and, in this year's Juddmonte International (G1), Ghaiyyath were others to enhance her status as a kingmaker.

Yet O'Brien had always maintained that we had not seen the best of her, what he sees in her at home, and last time she truly delivered. In an Irish Champion Stakes (G1) featuring this season's dominant force Ghaiyyath and subsequent Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) winner Sottsass, she absolutely blitzed the field to add to her top-level wins in the Pretty Polly Stakes (G1) and Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1).

She returns to Ascot a better and fresher horse than when justifying even-money favoritism in this race last year on soft ground by three-quarters of a length from Addeybb.

As has become the norm in these biggest of races O'Brien has several that more than merit their place in the line-up and Derby winner Serpentine and Japan, who has now not won for over a year, flesh out the O'Brien challenge.

O'Brien said of his trio: "Magical is in good form. Serpentine had been aimed at the Arc, but has obviously been re-routed and it's the same with Japan (due to feed contamination).

"All three go to Ascot in great form but obviously we'd prefer if the ground was better for them all."

When John Gosden resists the overwhelming temptation of the Arc with a middle distance type, it can have a devastating effect on the Champion Stakes.

Twice he skipped Paris with Cracksman, twice we saw the performance of the season at Ascot—and this year he has done the same with another top three-year-old in Mishriff.

Curiously, the Prince Faisal-owned colt has largely been campaigned in France until this point, landing the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) on good to soft and the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano—Haras du Logis Saint-Germain (G2) on heavy. Significantly both were over this trip of 1 1/4 miles.

Gosden said of Frankie Dettori's ride: "Mishriff is drawn a bit wide in nine, which can be a bit tricky over a mile and a quarter, but he's been training well and we've been targeting this race since he won at Deauville in August.

"It's his first time against older horses but it's not so much of an issue in October as it can be in the summer as the three-year-olds have caught up. He handles the ground and we'll see how his French form stacks up."

Like O'Brien, Gosden has an embarrassment of riches these days and supplements one star with another as Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1) winner Lord North returns to the scene of his most famous victory.

Gosden added: "Lord North likes the track, as he showed when winning the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot when there was some cut in the ground.

"We've targeted this since the Juddmonte International when James Doyle thought he was wheel-spinning on the very deep ground at York, but he should be fine back at Ascot."

The last time O'Brien and Gosden failed to lift the Champion Stakes it was a French raider who prevailed in the form of Almanzor. If the two training behemoths are to be denied once more, it may well be France again that denies them.

The Jerome Reynier-trained Skalleti beat Sottsass by a neck, admittedly in receipt of six pounds, in the Prix Gontaut-Biron (G3) at Deauville and then added the Prix Dollar (G2) on Arc weekend last time.

Both wins came over 1 1/4 miles on heavy ground and Reynier said: "Although he's never been abroad before, he's used to travelling as every time he goes from (my yard in) Marseille to Deauville it's a 10-hour trip each way.

"He is a very genuine horse and a big fighter. I don't think I've ever had him in better shape, mentally or physically. He won the Prix Dollar pretty easily, in the space of half a furlong it was done because he showed such a good turn of foot.

"He has now won three group 2s and there are not many group 1 opportunities for geldings like him so it's time to try."

The field is rounded out to 11 with sporting owners generally the theme. Roger Charlton, trainer of Extra Elusive who has won two group 3 races this year, said: "His owner/breeders Blue Diamond Stud are big supporters of British racing and are keen to have runners in the best races.

"He'll need to step forward a bit but I'm hoping he'll run well and there's prize-money down to sixth place."

Sprint Stakes a Clash of Genuine Stars

Three genuine stars line up for the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (G1).

Dream Of Dreams should probably be considered the lineal champion and there is a pretty strong consensus he should be undefeated this season. He only narrowly failed to land the knockout blow when beaten a fast-diminishing head in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (G1) at the royal meeting over course and distance in June and has since steamrollered all-comers.

He had his rivals on the ropes from an early stage when bolting up by seven lengths in the Hungerford Stakes (G2) over seven furlongs at Newbury in August, achieving a Racing Post Rating of 124. That is the highest figure on offer and one the challengers can only aspire to.

However, while he landed his first group 1 over this six-furlong trip in the Betfair Sprint Cup (G1) at Haydock last time, he recorded a lower RPR of 122 that day. That is his best figure at this distance, but he might need to improve if he is to fend off the younger Oxted.

Oxted has the best figure in this race over six furlongs and it was achieved on his latest start too, when he ran away with the Darley July Cup (G1) at Newmarket.

An RPR of 123 puts him 1 pound ahead of Dream Of Dreams if they both reproduce their last-time-out group 1 wins, and Oxted has had wind surgery since his last run. Already a big improver this season, any further progress would make him a serious contender. 

It's not just a duel, though, because there's a mighty mare lining up in the shape of One Master.

She made it three straight wins in the Qatar Prix de la Foret (G1) at Longchamp under Pierre-Charles Boudot two weeks ago, recording a career-best RPR of 118 in the process.

That gives her between five to six pounds to find with Dream Of Dreams and Oxted, but she receives a three-pound sex allowance from her male counterparts and is unlikely to go down without a fight.

Turn back the clock 12 months and you may recall there were plenty of people who expected One Master to take advantage of the extremely testing underfoot conditions in this race. Sent off 4-1 joint-favorite, she managed to beat the other major fancied contenders, but went down by a length to the unheralded 33-1 shot Donjuan Triumphant.

She did not enjoy the smoothest of passages on that occasion, having her run interrupted on two occasions, and emerged with tremendous credit over a trip clearly short of her best.

Her credentials are there for all to see, but trainer William Haggas is cautious about the drop back to sprinting.

"She's only managed to win once over six furlongs," he warned. "And that was a maiden during her 3-year-old days.

"However, she goes there in good shape and ran a great race in it last year. She's a very genuine filly who loves heavy ground. It will be hard for her to win, but I'm sure she'll run a good race."

The Revenant Out to Sink Palace Pier in QEII

Funny what you can watch on your phone nowadays. Francis-Henri Graffard was able to witness In Swoop win the Deutsches Derby (G1) on his mobile in the summer, and the French trainer will hope The Revenant will light up his screen with a victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1).

Graffard will not be at Ascot, but expects another big run from his 5-year-old, who was second in this same race 12 months ago.

"The softer the ground the better for him," the trainer said. "Last year it was very soft which helped us. It would be great if he runs a similar race and, with humility, I see Palace Pier as the one to beat, and if we were placed again it would be a very good performance."

Last year's defeat was one of just three in a 12-race career for The Revenant, who returned from a 350-day break to land a third group 2 success in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein (G2) at Longchamp a fortnight ago.

"He has had no physical issues," said Graffard. "I had him ready to run at the beginning of the season, then lockdown came and, since we had no idea how long it would last and feared that it would force him to run on summer ground that he does not like, we decided to turn him out and wait until the autumn. He came back in July to allow us to get him ready for this race and the Wildenstein.

"The Revenant has come out of his Prix Daniel Wildenstein victory very well. He needed the race badly, so he will come on a lot."

Vaughan Seeks Group 1 Curtain Call

Ed Vaughan brings the curtain down on his training career at Ascot and he has a fantastic chance of enjoying a fairy tale finale by landing the QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1) with Dame Malliot. 

Her owner, Anthony Oppenheimer, won this race last season with the John Gosden-trained Star Catcher and Dame Malliot has already achieved more than last year's winner had going in.

The daughter of Champs Elysees achieved a Racing Post Rating of 116 when landing the Princess of Wales's Tattersalls Stakes (G2) at Newmarket in July and that is the best form on offer.

However, an RPR of 116 would only have been good enough to win two of the last 10 runnings of this race, and Dame Malliot could be vulnerable if there is an improver lining up.

Wonderful Tonight looked just that when recording her first group 1 success in the Qatar Prix de Royallieu (G1) on Arc weekend at Longchamp last time, recording a three-pounds better figure than her previous best. She would only have to make similar progress again to trouble Dame Malliot.

She is certainly open to that sort of progress given she is a lightly raced 3-year-old from a stable in red-hot form, but she appeared to appreciate the mile and six furlong trip at Longchamp last time. Can she reproduce that level of form back at 1 1/2 miles?

One thing is for sure: she loves testing ground and the more of a test this becomes the better she is likely to run. Trainer David Menuisier might be doing the rain dance on Friday night.

Stradivarius Heads Long Distance Cup

The Qipco Long Distance Cup (G2) kicks off the action on Champions Day as Stradivarius seeks to answer one question—can he reproduce the form that saw him blitz the field by 10 lengths in the Gold Cup (G1) at Ascot in June, or has he peaked?

He was six pounds below that form, according to RPRs, when landing a fourth Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup (G1) next time and, while he was still able to win that day, he wouldn't be a shoo-in for this race on that sort of form. His RPRs have been regressive since too, so he looks like a star on the wane this year.

The pure figures might give you that impression, but it would be premature to write him off because his last two runs have both come over a mile and a half, a trip short of his optimum.

He probably wouldn't have been fully wound up when beaten a short-neck by Anthony Van Dyck in the Qatar Prix Foy (G1), his trial for the Arc last month, and it's not hard to ignore his below-par seventh in the Arc itself at Longchamp last time. That race developed into a messy, tactical affair and he never had any chance of winning a sprint up the straight.

He was beaten in this race last year by Kew Gardens, but a reproduction of that form would probably be good enough to win this season's running. He was awarded an RPR of 121 that day and that is 3 pounds higher than any of these rivals have managed to muster. 

Gosden and owner Bjorn Nielsen made a late call on the participation of their talisman Stradivarius, who is making a fourth successive outing in the marathon that he won in 2018.

The 6-year-old, who is set to stay in training in 2021, got the green light to participate after taking little out of himself in Paris.

Stradivarius was beaten favorite in this race a year ago when desperate conditions forced it to be staged on the inner track, but the ground should not be as testing this time around.

Gosden said: "Stradivarius had three quick races in the Coronation Cup, Ascot Gold Cup, and Goodwood Cup and then had a break before running the Prix Foy, which was a typical French trial in that they went slowly and then sprinted in the straight. He did well to finish second.

"He then went to the Arc, which was a very unsatisfactory contest in which he finished sixth not having been involved in a testing race at all."

After a phone call to Nielsen in Majorca on Thursday morning it was confirmed that all systems are go for Ascot. Gosden continued: "Stradivarius is very fresh and well in himself and the owner is happy to let him take his chance only 13 days later.

"It's a lovely race with a big field and I wouldn't dream of doing it unless he was giving us all the right signals. If he'd had a hard race in the Arc, he wouldn't be running. However, Magical proved last year that you can have a hard race in Paris and win 13 days later.

"He's drawn on the rail in stall one, so goes the shortest way around which is a bonus! He's versatile as regard tactics, but if he gets boxed in so be it. They tried to box him in two years ago in the race but he still managed to get out and win."