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Is it not a bit worrying how badly the champions day fields are cutting up. None of the top rated horses will be there with them either retired or not running because of the going. Seems to me many trainers aren’t chasing the top money on offer with their best horses. I hope this doesn’t become a trend and trainers like obrien ,stoute etc are either swerving the meeting or keeping horses for the breeders cup. There is only gleneagles of obriens top 2yo on future champions day which is a worry for that day too. I hope this is just a blip but trainers are having to deal with the arc meeting,champions day and the the breeders cup within 4 weeks. For trainers like obrien winning at the breeders cup seems to becoming more important than on champions day.
I think the likelihood of soft going is always going to lead to trainers planning campaigns for a lot of their horses that lead away from Champions day. Not only is the ground often going to verge on non – flat racing ground but the meeting also comes at the end of the season when horses have often been on the go a long time.
Champions day got lucky when it’s first couple of runnings co-incided with the years Frankel was around and although I don’t think the great horse particularly enjoyed soft ground he handled it well enough for Sir Henry to run him at the meeting.
The QE11 on Saturday looks particularly weak. I wouldn’t expect Toronado to run on really bad ground, there is no Olympic Glory, this looks about as weak a mile group one as you’ll find.
To be honest I think the concept of a flat racing Champions day that is usually run on non proper flat racing ground is absolute nonsense.
Totally agree that the likely soft going makes champions day mostly for the likes of Olympic glory. Given that the trend is for sires who like good/good to firm going this weekends fields could become the norm unless we get very good weather in the run up to the meeting. Still it means no excuses for horses who supposedly like soft going. The likes of Kingston hill. Wait a minute. Lol.
Kingston Hill would’ve liked the soft ground on Champions day but in order for him to be seen at his best he’d need a trip of at least twelve furlongs, maybe further even. There isn’t an ideal race for him on Champions day. The Eclipse showed that ten furlongs was too short for him ideally and although soft ground would make stamina at the trip of greater importance, the chances of Kingston Hill winning the Champion Stakes would still be slim.
Partly due to bad luck with some of the top horses retiring prematurely, but mainly due to the bad ground. Heavy/soft is more likely than not at Ascot middle of October. The new part of the track is drained but the old part, especially Swinley Bottom, dries badly.
Newmarket on the other hand naturally drains well thanks to millions of worms below the surface. In fact, Champions Day at Newmarket would more likely be on better ground than at Ascot every year. Actually, with Future Champions Day at Newmarket on Friday it would make perfect sense to follow it with Champions Day on Saturday. Also, the Champions Stakes itself would then be a bit of a unique test, a top 10f Group 1 over a straight course.
A couple of more years of heavy going on champions day could lead to calls for it to move back to Newmarket. Won’t be though given the huge investment made at ascot.
Newmarket on the other hand naturally drains well
thanks to millions of worms below the surface
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A bit like Westminster in that respect then
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
A couple of more years of heavy going on champions day could lead to calls for it to move back to Newmarket. Won’t be though given the huge investment made at ascot.
Never understood why they had to move the Champion stakes from Newmarket. It worked well for so many years as it was.
A couple of more years of heavy going on champions day could lead to calls for it to move back to Newmarket. Won’t be though given the huge investment made at ascot.
Never understood why they had to move the Champion stakes from Newmarket. It worked well for so many years as it was.
I agree with you totally Phil.
Change for the sake of change, by those who should know better – but for whatever reason, actually don’t.I don’t see the need for a big end of season ‘Champions meeting’ in Britain.
Britain has Royal Ascot, France has Arc Weekend, Ireland now has Champions Weekend. Then there’s the Breeders Cup across the pond. Between the high likelihood of soft ground and it’s proximity to Arc weekend, there will always be high profile defections.
I liked the idea of a Group 1 10f race over Newmarket’s straight course anyway, something different.
Those in charge of Champions Day will never admit defeat and accept that the raceday doesn’t fit into the current racing calendar.
For one they’ll be out of employment and off the racing gravy train until the next fashionable "project" comes along.
I wish similar efforts were put in to improve and publicise racing at a lower level by Great British Racing. Unfortunately they don’t seem willing to get their hands dirty at more grassroots level.
No Toronado, either.
This is, frankly, a joke meeting which needs to be sorted out sharpish.
BlueSky @pghenn.bsky.social
So don't run, just like the others always do
Champions Day on very soft ground is like the Cheltenham Festival would be on very firm. Non runners everywhere. Unfortunately, something can be done about very firm (watering), not very soft.
Does seem to me it could be moved a week earlier. Newmarket do not need three Saturdays in a row. Move the best of last weekend’s card on to the other two Newmarket Saturdays and move this week’s Champions Days (both Newmarket and Ascot) forward a week. I know it’s only a week, but it all helps. However, moving it will stop horses running in both Arc and Champion.
Do think a Champions Day needs to be towards the end of the season, so there’s not that much they can do. Wether will always play its part.
Value Is EverythingI’m not sure we ever needed a champions day. As I recall having the Champion Stakes at Newmarket used to work perfectly well.
People got obsessed with improving the "narrative" of the flat racing season when it didn’t really need to be. If there is a code with a narrative that needs improving it’s the jumps as everything revolves around the Cheltenham festival and Aintree. The rest of the season, quite frankly, can be pretty dull and forgettable.
By now having this so called "future champions" day on Friday we all now know what the going would have been at Newmarket for the champion stakes if the wouldn’t tops hadn’t moved it!
I find the prize money obscene for the class of race we are going to get and I would much rather the extra being used to bolster the king George in the summer.
As for the jumps season pre festival being forgettable,well sizing europe,s win at gowran the other day was more enjoyable than anything I’ve seen this flat season but maybe that’s just me.Champions Day now that Frankel has gone is turning out like people said it would , people won’t run good horses on bad ground in the middle of October. Things worked out well before this day with the spread of races and now they’re all lumped together on one day and it just makes a mess of it.
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