World’s Best Come Out To Play On QIPCO British Champions Day
There is a stellar cast of entries for what is set to be a mouthwatering 12th edition of QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 15th October, which this year offers prize money of £4.1 million.
The richest raceday in Britain features the top horse in the latest Longines World’s Best Racehorse rankings in Baaeed. The William Haggas-trained colt is entered for both the QIPCO Champion Stakes, the richest mile and a quarter race in Europe, with a value of £1.3 million and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO), which he won last year and is the richest mile race in Europe (£1.1 million).
Strength in Depth
Other potential runners include all six winners at last year’s QIPCO British Champions Day in Trueshan, Creative Force, Eshaada, Sealiway and Aldaary.
Last year’s Melbourne Cup winner and 11-time Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant, now trained in France, heads a strong international line-up that also includes this year’s Coral-Eclipse winner Vadeni.
Deserving Winners
Champion trainer Charlie Appleby, whose entries include 2021 Cazoo Derby winner Adayar, last year’s top two-year-old Native Trail and QIPCO 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner Coroebus, said: “It’s a big day for us. It’s the nearest thing we’ve got to the Breeders’ Cup and from an English point of view it’s where you want to take each other on at the end of the season. Those who are crowned champion at Ascot deserve it.”
Baaeed Aiming To Bow Out Unbeaten?
Crowley, who received his champion jockey trophy on the same day in 2016, said: “QIPCO British Champions Day is an unbelievable event, with fantastic racing and awesome prize money. It’s a great way to end the season and a meeting I’ve been lucky at, so I’m really looking forward to it again.”
He added: “My win on Madame Chiang back in 2014 came at an important time for me but I didn’t ride another winner there until last year, when I’d have been delighted to have won just one race. To have three winners – and it could have been four – was just fantastic.
“If I have half as good a day again I’ll be laughing, and if Baaeed were to finish there unbeaten in whichever race he goes for, it would be perfect. But we have to get York out of the way first.”
Check out the full Champions Day entries on QIPCO British Champions Series
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