The Flat season saves its best until last, as British Champions Day at Ascot serves up five Group 1s on Saturday, headlined by a Champion Stakes rematch between Calandagan and Ombudsman. Kalpana bids for a historic hat-trick in the Fillies & Mares Stakes, while a vintage Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and the always-competitive Balmoral Handicap complete a barnstorming card.
Joe Napier has four selections from the Berkshire track to combine for our Saturday Lucky 15.
2.40 Ascot – Kalpana
The 13-day turnaround was no issue last year for KALPANA, and she can once again reign supreme against her fellow fillies and mares. Even her relatively disappointing fifth in the Arc just under two weeks ago would be the peak form in this field, and that is without accounting for back-to-back wins in this race, plus her King George success in July, her career highlight. The going does not matter to her and in what could well prove her swansong, she should once again prove too powerful for her opponents in this race.
3.20 Ascot – Talk Of New York
TALK OF NEW YORK has ground to make up with Gstaad on their St James’s Palace Stakes meeting, but the growing up he has done in the meantime may well help him close the gap. The Godolphin horse won three of his first four, including tearing away with Listed honours at Sandown. Unfortunately, he then tore William Buick’s arms off at the royal meeting, though still performed admirably behind Bow Echo and Gstaad, beaten less than two lengths. An error of pace judgment by Buick resulted in a surprise reverse at Goodwood, but he put it all together when steaming away with the Group 2 Joel Stakes at the end of September at Newmarket. He is now primed for the top level and can graduate with flying colours.
4.00 Ascot – Ombudsman
Both Calandagan and OMBUDSMAN are stars on their day, but over this trip, the selection is probably the best horse in the world. He did not show that when virtually everything went wrong for him in York’s Juddmonte International Stakes last time out. However, when they do go his way, he is breathtakingly effective, as demonstrated when he destroyed his rivals in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes over course and distance in June. A repeat of that form would make him very difficult to beat and the going should remain quick enough to show him to best effect.
4.35 Ascot – Scoville
Having briefly shown glimpses of Group race potential last season at three, SCOVILLE had things fall his way at Doncaster last time out. William Haggas has had to build him back to form gradually after wind surgery. In that time, he was seventh at Royal Ascot on the wrong side of the track, hung badly at Goodwood, then finished a close third dropped to 7f at Newbury. His mark kept declining though, and off 95, he put it together to win well during the St Leger meeting back up to 1m. The handicapper has let him off only raising him 4lb, as he travelled extremely well at Doncaster and can do the same to smart effect returned to Ascot.
