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While I still agree that Champion’s Day might not work most of the times, today was a great day for Racing.
Frankie bowing out of British Racing on a G1 winner doesn’t get any better. Though I didn’t fancy King Of Steel to finish top three it was the perfect ending to his Lanfranco’s British career.
“I think Frankie just saved the day”.
Agree, Green. It is just not enjoyable watching Flat racing on that sort of ground.
Two uninspiring Group 1s with big priced winners, a QE2 where they were strung out like it was a 3m 4f Chase at Haydock and a not very distinguished handicap to end the card.
Sorry but it does not work. The Champion Stakes was much better at Newmarket, supported by the Challenge, Jockey Club Cup, Dewhurst and Cesarewitch. And the QE2 was better at the end of September.
I’d prefer a champions weekend
Have the fillies mile and dewhurst at Newmarket on the Friday and today’s racing on the Saturday at ascot
A breeders cup style, juveniles on the Friday older horses saturday
And have it a couple of weeks earlier as the ground always seems to turn this week of the year unfortunately for ascot
That’ll mean no horses from longchamp will run but how often do horses win at both meetings anyway?
Or maybe just don’t over water the track all year, then the ground would’ve been fine
I agree with CAS – What was wrong with what we had?
Ascot had the QEII Gp1 over 1m for all ages, the Gp1 Fillies 1m for 2yo fillies, and Royal Lodge Gp2 over 1m for 2yo c&g, plus the Diadem for sprinters – and a few handicaps.
The following week saw the two 6f Gp1 for 2yo, then the Gp1 Sun Chariot over 1m2f, plus the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket, plus other decent races. With the Arc festival at Longchamps…..
And 2 weeks later back at Newmarket the 7f Challenge stakes, 2m Jockey Club Cup, 7f Dewhurst & Rockfel, plus the Champion Stakes & Cesarewitch the major highlights.
And in between Ascot’s final Flat meeting with the 2 day fixture, with the Autumn stks, Cornwallis, Princess Royal stks, plus the Bovis H’cap.
You only have to look at the list of recent Champion Sprint winners to see this doesn’t work. Champions most were not in the slightest
The whole conception of Champions Day is misconstrued. In most sports to become champion you negotiate a series of rounds, groups or heats with the eventual winner being deemed champion. Champions Day has none of that and as demonstrated today, in particular the Sprint and Fillys and Mares whereby the winners just happened to be best on the day albeit with the jockeys astute judgement coming into play.
To me there has only been one champion in this pantomime and that was Frankel but he was a champion before he set foot on the stage at Ascot.The more I know the less I understand.
Bring it back to Newmarket where the ground drains beautifully and true Champions are crowned. 👑
I’m sorry to say that apart from the fantastic win 🏆 by King of Steel who is a true Champion through and through and would have won on any ground, most of the winners today, although running good races were not top drawer, and the question must be asked as to whether Ascot really is the racecourse to hold this event?
Compare today’s meeting to Newmarket’s Future Champions Meeting last week where we saw a scintillating win by City Of Troy in The Dewhurst. I wonder if he would have run so well on the Ascot track today.Always remember the very last Champion Stakes held at Newmarket when Twice Over won and Frankel won the Dewhurst. The feel good factor abounded and THEN… they took our race away and it’s never been the same again
On that day, apart from Aiam To Prosper 16/1 who won the Cesarewitch, not one horse priced over 5/1 won on the day.Newmarket is not everyone’s cup of tea, some say it’s bleak, it’s too far from London, difficult to get too and so on, but horses do run well there, the ground is always raceable and being chalk based it drains well.
I agree with FF and Andy RAC .. give Champions Day back to Newmarket as it used to be and stop trying to please the hooray Henry’s and Henriettas who don’t want to travel further than their back yard. It actually sounded more like a football match than a race meeting today with all the chanting going on for Frankie and I did feel sorry for the other jockeys when nobody clapped them as they came out one by one into the paddock before the big race saving the biggest and only cheer for Frankie.
Ascot racecourse’s suitability and the timing of Champions Day both need addressing I just don’t think the Day is living up to its name. The title of this Thread says it all. Jac.
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...The fact that they now have a proviso that if the word heavy appears in the going description, then the races on the round course can be moved to the hurdles track (that laughably/ironically provided quicker ground) tells you all you need to know about the timing of the meeting.
The meeting will always be held hostage to the weather gods so late in the flat season – if you want even a better chance at quicker ground you will have to make some hard controversial choices.
That being, bringing it forward in the calendar and say combine it with Future Champions two day meeting and rename it say The Weekend of Champions and really promote it….the controversial bit will be to keep the Dewhurst/Ces on the Saturday and have the Sunday for QE2/Champion Stakes and run the meeting the week after the St Leger (two weeks after Irish Champions Weekend) and a week before the Arc – Newmarket actually already has a meeting in place then (where it runs its Ces Trial) so that kind fits ok for them.
Yes it will mean that you might have to chose between a run in one or the other Champion Stakes (although both would be doable in 14-15 days) and the odd horse won’t be able to run at Ascot and also at the Arc meeting, so that may ruffle some feathers but…..hey ho.
Lets face it, where would this meeting be had Sir Henry not been such a staunch supporter of British racing and bypassed it altogether for those first two years with Frankel.
Newmarket, nay the ‘market, could be the market of choice.
Whilst the wonderful Tippi Hedren waxes lyrical about the logistics, my only real concern is that that the cobblestones might not take the extra weight.Triptych or Tippi is in my mind Tippi Hedren who is 93 but still a beauty. See the Birds and you’ll never forget her. The queues for that Hitchcock broke the bounds of reasonableness ! I saw those queues at the Odeon in September 63. It’s like yesterday !
Great post LD..
It certainly needs to be shuffled around we just don’t have the climate to run a Champions Day so late in the year and Ascot were lucky they weren’t under two foot of water and having to abandon this year’s meeting.
Newmarket’s Future Champions Day has already shown us two top 2yo’s to follow next season in Arabian Crown and Ancient Wisdom and the likely winner of the 2000 Guineas/Derby in City Of Troy. What have we learnt from yesterday’s Champions Day? Trainers will just stop bringing their best horses in the future and what will we be left with?
Change has to happen..
JacThings turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...I seem to be in a tiny minority, but I enjoyed yesterday’s meeting.
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Thankfully I’m nowhere hear 93 but remember Tippi Hedren scaring the life out of me in The Birds 🐦⬛.
Glad to hear she is still around and as lovely as ever.
Alfred Hitchcock could really get inside peoples minds with his films shame he’s not around more to make one called The Horses and scare the BHA into submission 🐎 😱 JacThings turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...Some of it was okay, some of it wasn’t pretty viewing for flat racing. Big Rock stringing out the QEII field like 3M 4F chasers on Betfair Chase day at Haydock isn’t great imo. The biggest turnoff for me was the constant front runner goes off and stays there, the Champion Stakes where they probably overdid it was the only one where anything got involved from mid/rear. Saying that Newmarket is probably the worst track in the country for that so maybe going there isn’t ideal either. York anyone?
I’d also like to say that I enjoyed the racing, always do. It’s the venue and timing that aren’t working for me..Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...Time of year probably mainly, Newmarket are due to race on Wednesday and it must be in doubt, currently heavy.
King Of Steel must be some horse the way he came from last to first.
Thankfully the Champion Stakes saved the meeting with Via Sistina, who relished the ground, running on in second. Truly good horses will shine anywhere and Frankie Dettori will be missed on these shores.
JacThings turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...
It certainly needs to be shuffled around we just don’t have the climate to run a Champions Day so late in the year and Ascot were lucky they weren’t under two foot of water and having to abandon this year’s meeting.
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