Champions Day: guide to the five Group races and a 66-1 tip

Kyprios sets the standard and if Aidan O’Brien’s most prolific Group One winner is anywhere near his best – he has eight top-level wins and counting - then he will almost certainly cap another flawless campaign. 

The niggle is that he’s had a busy year and that he will have had only a fortnight to recover from his latest success in the Prix du Cadran, when he again teased the opposition (and his layers) by coming off the bridle some way out. Aidan O’Brien prefers to describe that as him “playing with this rivals”. He's a best-priced 8-11.

O’Brien has also left in Continuous, Grosvenor Square, Illinois, The Euphrates and Point Lonsdale. The last-named interests me, each-way, especially after being taken out of the Champion Stakes (which tells us  it is this race or nothing). The formbook suggests he’s up against it with Al Nayyir (behind him in the Lonsdale Cup) and Sweet William (third to him in the Doncaster Cup) but those races were on a sound surface and it could be a different story under the likely testing conditions. 

We know he copes well with the mud and he finished a close fourth to King Of Steel in the Champion Stakes on slowish going last year, something the others in this line-up, bar perhaps Kyprios, would lack the pace to do. His flat patches have been getting more pronounced but that’s just part of his make-up. 

Trawlerman was tenacious when edging out Kyprios in this race last year, when he traded at 999-1 in-running on Betfair. He probably did not get the credit he deserved that day and had another good tussle with his old adversary in this year’s Gold Cup before coming off second best. His absence since then is a niggle, for all that it means he could have the edge in freshness. 

John and Thady Gosden have a second leading contender in Sweet William, who was a distant third last year but has looked better than ever this term. Kyprios was too strong for him in the Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup, though, and a place is probably the best he can hope for. 

I suggested backing Al Nayyir each-way at 16-1 ante-post before he won at Newmarket last time. There was plenty to like about the way he made light of testing conditions to win easily at Headquarters, although few of the others seemed able to cope with the conditions and now, no bigger than 4-1, the value has been squeezed out of his price. 

Willie Mullins has left in his Royal Ascot winner, Belloccio, but he will need significantly more. So will Burdett Road, who won well at Newmarket last time and has a heavy ground hurdle win at Cheltenham on his CV. 

Early advice: Back Point Lonsdale each-way at 66-1 with William Hill.

The draw can be a factor, so I would not be in a rush to play in this contest until we know who is jumping from where on Thursday, when we will also have a clear idea about the likely going. 

Art Power will be back to defend his crown but there hasn’t been a two-time winner of this contest (formerly the Diadem) since the late 1950s and he lines up having trailed home last in the Sprint Cup, although his prep last year was similar, as he beat one home in the Abbaye. He won at 40-1 last year, and is available at 33-1 this time.

Kinross was a decisive winner of this in 2022 and came within a neck of being a dual winner 12 months ago. He again arrives here in good heart, although he was put in his place by Ramatuelle in the Prix de la Foret 13 days ago, and there are plenty of new kids on the block to be overcome. 

The big eye-catcher in the Prix de la Foret was Beauvatier, who flew home for third (just behind Kinross) having had only one of his 15 rivals behind with a furlong to run. That hinted he may yet fulfil his juvenile potential – he beat Ramatuelle on one occasion and was third to Rosallion in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere – although it is not easy to determine what his best trip is. Whatever, he's 16-1 and Kinross is only 4-1, which doesn't make sense.

Montassib has thrived since being reinvented as a sprinter in the past year, beating Kinross in the Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle before winning the Sprint Cup at the main expense of Kind Of Blue, related to the stable’s two previous winners of this, and Unequal Love, who landed the Wokingham in June. All three enter calculations but are quoted between 5-1 and 8-1. 

Those drawn low were at a big advantage at Haydock, so don’t discount Swingalong, either, as she had little chance the way the race unfolded and fared best of those drawn high.  She had previously finished runner-up in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and July Cup, plus she was a good fourth in this race last year, when getting a little isolated. The 16-1 on offer looks fair.

Mill Stream will attempt to become the first July Cup winner to scoop this prize since Muhaarar in 2015, but he was unable to reproduce that when fifth in the Maurice de Gheest last time. One coming in under the radar is James’s Delight, but he does seem to relish deep ground and Ryan Moore has already been pencilled in to ride. The last-named is 25-1 but I cannot see that lasting if Moore stays put.

Early advice: no bet. 

Kalpana heads the market after emphatic wins in the Glasgow Stakes, at Hamilton, and September Stakes, at Kempton, but this will be a much stiffer assignment for a filly who was third in the Ribblesdale during the summer. A best price of 7-4 looks skinny.

Emily Upjohn was a significant absentee from the 19 possible runners on Monday but her stablemates, Queen Of The Pride (20-1)and Danielle (also 20-1), remain in contention. The former had a positive profile until running too bad to be true in the Yorkshire Oaks last time. Winners of this have run shockers en route, so don’t discount her bouncing back. Her penultimate run, when dishing out a drubbing to Tiffany and Lady Boba in the Lancashire Oaks, has been franked, with her closest pursuers since winning pattern contests. Danielle has looked a mudlark but would need to raise her game. 

Content was runner-up in the Irish Oaks before going one better in the Yorkshire Oaks. She was not seen to best advantage in a first-time hood in the Prix de L’Opera last time but is the type to quickly bounce back. 

Aidan O’Brien, her trainer, also has an intriguing challenger in Wingspan among his squad of five. Her dam, Hydrangea, won this race in 2017 and, like her, she is being unleashed over a mile and a half for the first time. Wingspan has achieved far less than her mum, before her win, but she’s had only five runs and took another step forward when touched off by Hanalia in the Blandford Stakes last month, for all that the winner has subsequently failed to figure in the Prix de L’Opera. She's 20-1 but it's not easy to second guess who O'Brien will run.

Time Lock won well at Newmarket last time, but she did that this time 12 months ago before failing to figure in this race. You can make half-cases for such as Quantanamera and Village Voice, especially as they seem to enjoy soft ground. The first-named slammed Arrest by four lengths in the Grand Prix de Deauville last time, but the runner-up, second in the St Leger last season, is proving difficult to predict. 

Early advice: no bet. 

It’s odd to think Bluestocking, the Arc heroine, and Charyn, on the brink of being crowned this year’s champion miler, failed to muster a single win between them in 13 races last season. 

Charyn has been a revelation this term, winning the Doncaster Mile, bet365 Mile, Queen Anne and Jacques le Marois. In addition, he’s been second in the Lockinge and Prix du Moulin, looking an unlucky loser in the latter after the winner, Tribalist, was gifted a soft lead. 

My concern for the grey, who is no bigger than 11-8, was that he was a busy boy in the spring – I imagine Roger Varian thought early-season races may represent good opportunities to strike early after his blank the year before – and that he faces no easy task conceding 6lb to a classy filly in the shape of Tamfana. At 6-1, she looks a much better bet.

Shehas also been on the go since the spring, but she’s thrived on her schedule and looked in rude health when bossing the opposition in the Sun Chariot a couple of weeks ago. Six-time Group One winner Inspiral could not land a glove on her, while See The Fire, runner-up in the Nassau, and Elmalka, the 1000 Guineas heroine, were also put in their place, as was Nashwa, who could re-oppose. She’s effective over further but is clearly at home over a stiff mile. All ground seems to come alike to her. 

As expected, Prague was supplemented on Monday at a cost of £70,000. This Ballydoyle reject has proved a bargain buy for Dylan Cunha and his team and he impressed when thumping Poker Face in the Joel Stakes at Newmarket last time. He will need to finish in the first four to recover the roll of the dice. 

The other one on my shortlist is Quddwah, who is 2/2 at Ascot and had been unbeaten in four starts before finishing about thre lengths fourth to Charyn in the Jacques le Marois. His connections suggested conditions were a bit quick for him that day, and it could be slower ground will show him in a different light. The going had been on the easy side when he mastered Docklands, the subsequent Queen Anne runner-up, over course and distance in May. 

Facteur Cheval chased home Big Rock in this race last year but I can’t see him or France’s other challenger, Metropolitan, being good enough, for all the French have an excellent record in the QEII. O’Brien has left in Henry Longfellow and Diego Velazquez but they would be ion retrieval missions. 

Early advice: back Tamfana to win at 6-1 with William Hill.

The highlight of the whole card promises to be a cracker with Calandagan, Econmoics and Los Angeles on collision course. It promises to be an epic France v England v Ireland confrontation. 

Cirrus Des Aigles, Almanzor and Sealiway have struck for France since the first Champions Day in 2011, with another four of their 14 challengers making the frame. Calandagan has bright prospects of giving them another success after his excellent length second to City Of Troy in the Juddmonte International last time, which came after his runaway win in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. 

City Of Troy got all the plaudits at York, but Calandagan put in some serious sectionals in the second half of the race to get near him, having been given plenty to do. Still only ninth with three furlongs to run, Calandagan clocked an eight furlong of 10.74sec (no other horse dripped under 11sec) and was also fastest in the ninth furlong, recording 11.08sec. He was also second fastest in the final furlong, leaving the impression that the waiting tactics had been overcooked. 

Aidan O’Brien remains adamant that City Of Troy is the best he’s trained and the York form is adding up. Ghostwriter, the third, was beaten a much lesser distance in the Irish Champion, while Bluestocking, the well-held fourth, has since landed the Arc. 

Calandagan has had two months to recharge his batteries and is effective on all types of ground. He promises to take plenty of stopping. 

Economics has gone from strength to strength this season, taking his form to another level when fending off Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown last time. 

This imposing colt had to show plenty of courage that day and getting in a scrap must have been a novelty to him, given his previous victories this season, including in the Dante when romping home, have all been gained with a degree of comfort. He’s done nothing wrong and there may easily be more to come, but he’s unproven on soft ground and for my money Calandagan has simply achieved more. 

Los Angeles has had a fine year, winning the Irish Derby and making the frame in the Derby, Irish Champion and Arc. He doesn’t seem to have the gears of the market leaders, although that may be irrelevant if the race is run on deep ground. Even if that is the case, there must be a chance his exploits in France less than two weeks ago may have left a mark. 

Al Riffa disappointed in the Arc, while Luxembourg and Nashwa may have had their best days. 

Early advice: back Calandagan to win at a general 2-1.