Champions Day: 66-1 and 40-1 tips plus how to bet £20

It is difficult to look beyond TRAWLERMAN, who mastered Kyprios when winning this race in 2022 and has been third in two other editions.

He’s looked better than ever in a relatively light campaign this year, running his rivals raggd when a runaway winner of the Gold Cup in a record time in June, before giving weight and a beating to his doughty stablemate Sweet William in the Lonsdale Cup at York, with the non-staying Al Qareem well adrift.

Sweet William has since won a second Doncaster Cup in emphatic fashion, but he’s clashed five times with Trawlerman and only once finished in front of him.

Aidan O’Brien is seeking a fifth win in the race and relies on two three-year-olds, Stay True, who has been supplemented, and Saratoga. The former ran a cracker when third in the Irish St Leger last time but he’s got to prove his stamina and the record of the Classic generation in this contest is miserable.

Super Stat: It’s evidently a tough race for three-year-olds to win, with none of the 20 runners from the Classic generation managing better than second. There's been some good ones beaten too, including Big Orange, Stradivarius and Eldar Eldarov.

I’ve gotta horse: Jockey William Buick: “Trawlerman has had a magnificent season and let’s hope that he can finish off on a high. If you are in a horse race with him, you will know about it afterwards.”

Words Of Truth is much the likely winner, already impressing with his wins here and at Newmarket before wearing down an exciting rival, Into The Sky, in the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury last time. He’s unpenalised for landing that Group Two prize and is rated between 6lb and 23lb superior to his rivals.

Division is progressive and must enter calculations after his decisive success at York last week, while Sir Albert keeps improving in chunks, but a bigger-priced each-way alternative to the favourite is GENTLE GEORGE.

This Mick Appleby-trained colt impressed when edging out the odds-on Monarch’s Gold (had won on his debut) in a fast time at Haydock, with the pair pulling almost five lengths clear of Night Mission, who had previously got to within three lengths of Division on his debut.

Gentle George had previously won over 5f at Sandown, despite the trip looking on the shy side, and looks underestimated at the general 20-1 on offer.

Super Stat: Charlie Appleby, the trainer of Words Of Truth, did not have a runner at Champions Day until 2021. Since then, he’s had one winner from eight runners, Creative Force in the 2021 Sprint.

I’ve gotta horse: To follow. 

The sprinting division has been a muddle this year with all the formlines tangled up, so this final big dash of the year comes with a wealth warning.

There looks to be an even spread of pace with Spy Chief (four), Lazzat (seven), Art Power (ten), Quinault (15) and Big Mojo (20) all wanting to get on with things. It would be no surprise if the race unfolded down the middle, with maybe those drawn very low, including a fancied pair in Flora Of Bermuda and Montassib, at a disadvantage.

I’ll be looking to take on the market leaders given the unpredictable nature of what has gone before this ncampaig, with French raider RAYVEKA, drawn in stall 13, making most appeal at the general 14-1 on offer.

A frenetic gallop will suit this strong-travelling daughter of Blue Point, as she can be a bit too keen for her own good. She bolted up in a useful Listed race at Chantilly in June and then ran a screamer when a staying-on third in the Commonwealth Cup, having been dropped out last.

Rayveka faded to be seventh in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, next time when she saw plenty of daylight and the extended 6f probably stretched her. On her latest start, at Longchamp, she found 5f too sharp but caught the eye.

The bottom line is if she can reproduce what she showed at the Royal Meeting, when she had such as Big Mojo behind, then she should be bang in the mix.

I was also half-interested in King Cuan after another eye-catching run in defeat from off the pace last time, but the drying ground will not help him.

Super Stat: Seven winners since 2013 ran in the Sprint Cup at Haydock the previous month. Six of those seven were beaten at the Lancashire venue – the odd one out being Muhaarar in 2015.

I’ve gotta horse: Trainer Jerome Reynier: “Lazzat was unreal at Royal Ascot He is spot on and back on a racecourse he has done so well at. 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.” 

Andrew Balding divulged plenty of nuggets to the media in a Champions Day press call on Thursday. These included the fact that he had been too busy at the Sales to watch his sister, Claire, in The Traitors, and that KALPANA seems in great shape after her seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

With The Traitors in mind (Andrew can stop watching after episode four), I asked him which of his team he had most faith in, and which we should maybe be wary of. He nominated Kalpana in the former category, and Flora Of Bermuda (Sprint) in the latter because he did not like her draw in stall 1.

His confidence in Kalpana’s powers of recovery after her seventh in the Arc are all I need to convince me she will win this because she’s got outstanding form claims and is the highest-rated horse (mark of 122) to line up in this event.

She was an emphatic winner last year and has taken her form up a notch this term, especially when splitting Calandagan and Rebel’s Romance in the King George back at Ascot in July.

Her second to Giavellotto at Kempton was branded a disappointment, but the winner was subsequently a fine fourth in the Arc despite the ground not being ideal for him. Meanwhile, Kalpana’s effort at Longchamp needs marking up as she was obliged to race much wider than ideal, covering more ground than the opposition.

There is nowhere near so much depth in this race and, back against her own sex, she can get deservedly get back to winning ways.

Estrange rates the main threat, although she was ultimately no match for Minnie Hauk in the Yorkshire Oaks and subsequently missed the Arc because of a dirty scope. Those looking for an each-way bet should consider the likeable One Look, although she’s unproven beyond ten furlongs and likely to be ridden with that in mind.

Super Stat: Eighteen of the horses who have won or been second in the Fillies & Mares have been officially rated between 111 and 115, including last year’s winner Kalpana (113). 

I’ve gotta horse: Trainer Andrew Balding: “I think Kalpana has got an outstanding chance and I’ll be disappointed if she doesn’t win, to be honest. She only lost eight kilos when weighed on the Monday evening after the Arc, and she’s back to her racing weight before France.” 

It’s puzzling that neither of the best two horses in the race, Field Of Gold and Rosallion, have a pace maker because what makes them so special is their ability to quicken off a strong pace.

Maybe it won’t matter, maybe it will. The pair of them have got troublesome wide draws to negotiate and, to make matters worse, there are no obvious speed horses immediately around them. 

Moreover, Field Of Gold has to put his Sussex Stakes flop behind him (he had a pacemaker that day), while Rosallion just seems cursed this campaign and an exasperated Sean Levey, who has come in for some unfair criticism, could be forgiven for not knowing whether to stick or twist.

Fallen Angel is less heralded than the top two in the market, but she’s won more Group One races than the pair of them put together and arrives at the top of her game. She will be dangerous if getting a bit of a freebie at the head of affairs.

But if you fancy her, at about 7-1, then you have got to consider JANUARY, who is dismissed as a 66-1 no-hoper (she was 100-1 on Thursday). That’s just plain potty because it was little more than two months ago that the Kingman filly ran Fallen Angel to a head in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville, having looked to have taken her measure. That came after a similar near-miss in the Falmouth Stakes and a close third here in the Coronation Stakes.

She has admittedly been disappointing in her past two starts, although she might have resented first-time headgear in the Matron, and last time ten furlongs on very soft ground at Longchamp never looked like being her cup of tea. A first-time tongue-tie on Saturday also hints she might have had some breathing issues.

Jockey bookings suggest she’s the Aidan O’Brien third string but stranger things have happened. Back over a mile on a sound surface, I’m happy to take the plunge at mammoth odds. 

Super Stat: Since the first Champions Day in 2011, 29 market leaders chalked up at 2-1 or shorter have been defeated. John Gosden, co-trainer of Field Of Gold, has been responsible for ten of them. 

I’ve gotta horse: Richard Brown, racing adviser to owners Wathnan Racing: “Fallen Angel is in top form and she put a kilogram on for winning the Sun Chariot remarkably, I just couldn’t believe it when Karl told me that. She’s come out of Newmarket in great nick and has taken her form to the next level. She’s a real flagbearer for Wathnan now who we’re excited to see run on Champions Day.” 

Click here to read Andy’s guide to all the runners and why he fancies CALANDAGAN to come out on top. 

Super Stat: Aidan O’Brien’s 25 previous male challengers have all been beaten. The record of his colts and entire horses in the race reads 0409542096052398374749490.  Since Magical’s victory in the 2019 edition, the trainer has had 34 runners on Champions Day and had only one winner, who was Kyprios at 8-11 in last season’s Long Distance Cup.  

I’ve gotta horse: Nemone Routh, racing manager for the Aga Khan Studs in France: “You couldn’t say he didn’t handle the soft ground in the race last year as he ran such a good race, but I just think it blunts his turn of foot a bit. He seems to love firmer ground.” 

Twenty runners and decent ground. You would imagine an end-to-end gallop and those held up swooping, but there is a distinct lack of front-runners in the race. Hafeet Alain, drawn in stall 21, sometimes forces things, but he has been absent since May and twice been a late non-runner this month. 

That means those habitually held up for a late surge could be left swimming against the tide, including the favourite, Native Warrior, who has won here at Ascot on his past two starts but now finds himself 14lb higher in the ratings. 

One who looks seriously underestimated in the market is the Tony Martin-trained ORANDI, who is surely the wrong price at 40-1. 

He’s been off 11 weeks but he goes well fresh, as he showed when landing the Irish Lincoln on his return in March. He went close to making history 13 days later when a close third in England’s Lincoln, when he might well have won another day. For what it is worth, he had Native Warrior six places behind that day and is now 13lb better off. 

Orandi ran another cracker on his next start, when third in a prestige mile handicap at the Galway Festival, and was probably feeling the effects of that effort when running below-par later at the meeting over an inadequate trip. 

Freshened up, drawn in single figures and with David Egan an eye-catching booking, he has plenty going for him. 

The reliable Great Acclaim is another on my shortlist as he invariably give his running and yet is 25-1. He got within a length and a half of Native Warrior here on his penultimate start and  is now 11lb better off, with first-time cheekpieces added. 

Shout commands respect after his latest emphatic win here, especially as he got a bump at the start and had to make his way over to the stands’ rail, although he is 9lb higher and only one horse drawn higher than 11 has taken this prize since it was first run in 2014. He will jump from stall 14. 

Super Stat: John Gosden, who runs Fifth Column, has fielded the runner-up on five occasions without winning it: Maverick Wave (2014), GM Hopkins (2015 and 2017), Remarkable (2016) and Lord North (2019). 

I’ve gotta horse: To follow. 

12.55: £2 Exacta on Trawlerman to beat Sweet William 

1.30: £1.25 each-way on Gentle George at a general 20-1 

2.05: £1 each-way on Rayevka at 14-1 with Coral and Ladbrokes (four places)  

2.45: £2.50 win on Kalpana at a general 3-1 

3.25 £1.25 each-way on January at a general 66-1 (four places) 

4.05: £2 win on Calandagan at a general 11-4 

4.40: £1.25 each-way on Orandi at 40-1 with Paddy Power and Sky Bet (six places) 

Plus a £1 Trixie on Trawlerman, Kalpana, Calandagan