QIPCO CHAMPION

STAKES (GROUP 1)

ON yet another magnificent afternoon for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori, Cracksman ran away with the Champion Stakes, repeating last year’s victory and effectively finalising the British trainers’ championship for John Gosden. The trainer also won with Stradivarius and Roaring Lion, Dettori demonstrating on the former that he has few if any peers at Ascot. At 48, he remains in sublime form.

Cracksman had something to prove after scrambling home in the Coronation Cup at Epsom and his second to Poet’s Word in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. However, the latter effort was on very quick ground and he was much happier on a totally contrasting surface last Saturday. Gosden elected to use blinkers for the first time but this bothered punters not one jot and 5/6 was the going rate just before the off.

Held up behind the leaders as stable-companion Maverick Wave took them along, attended by Capri and Crystal Ocean, Cracksman had to be urged along at one stage but Dettori kicked him into overdrive just as they straightened up and from here, he put on a show, going six lengths clear of Crystal Ocean with Czech raider Subway Dancer running a blinder in third, ahead of the Ballydoyle pair Capri and Rhododendron.

SIMPLE TRUTH

Whether Cracksman would have troubled dual Arc winner Enable at Longchamp is something that might be argued well into the night, but the simple truth is that Gosden had no reason to seek an answer. Not in quite the same form as last year, Enable might have been vulnerable but no one will ever know.

Last week’s performance was out of the very top drawer, Crystal Ocean having very nearly lasted home in the King George before merely tracking Enable the whole way round at Kempton. Sir Michael Stoute’s four-year-old is a very talented middle-distance horse but needs further than 10 furlongs and had no response when Cracksman surged into the lead.

Gosden, whose willingness to endow horses with human characteristics is endearing if a mite imaginative, put Cracksman’s defeat in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes down to the fillies (or ‘girls’) coming back in from the previous race. “He shouted at them, which was not very good of him,” he said. “I had to say to him that his stud career was not quite yet, old boy.”

It will not be long delayed, however, though owner Anthony Oppenheimer said the destination was unknown at present. “We’ll start negotiating with somebody. We had to see how he did today,” he added. If Cracksman does as well at stud as his sire Frankel, who also won this race, there are some exciting times ahead.

“He has been a wonderful horse for me,” Dettori added. “Turning for home he couldn’t wait to go. Not many horses can accelerate like he did and I knew we were in business.”

Subway Dancer is trained in the Czech Republic and ran a storming race for one rated 21lbs inferior to Crystal Ocean. He races for the Koplik family – trainer Zdeno and his jockey brother Radek.

He finished sixth in the Prix Dollar at ParisLongchamp last time and was led up by Zdeno’s daughter Ingrid, who was thrilled by the 66/1 shot’s brave effort, and understandably so. There is every reason to go for further glory in Hong Kong.

O’Brien gets a Magical win

QIPCO BRITISH

CHAMPIONS FILLIES &

MARES STAKES

(GROUP 1)

AIDAN O’Brien and Ryan Moore struck at Group 1 level when Magical, 5/1, none the worse for her 10th in the Arc when trying a mile and a half for the first time, led a furlong out in Champions Fillies & Mares and kept on well to hold Coronet by a length. John Gosden had second and third because even-money favourite Lah Ti Dar kept on again close home after being headed before the furlong marker.

O’Brien meant business here and saddled six of the 11 runners. The outsiders Broadway, Sizzling, Flattering and Bye Bye Baby filled four of the last five places but the market had it right and the winner closed in from 6/1 before the off.

The bookmakers take no chances with Gosden-trained runners and Lah Ti Dar was bound to start a short-priced favourite after her second in the St Leger. She did nothing wrong but was outpaced at a vital stage and probably needs more time. One firm claimed her defeat had saved the industry ‘tens of millions’, which is absurd, of course, though a Gosden four-timer might well have run into quite a few thousand.

Magical was forced to miss the Oaks after being backed for the race and this was her first Group 1 win.

“She got an injury 10 days before the race,” O’Brien said, referring back to Epsom. “She was only just coming back in the Arc. Wayne Lordan was brilliant that day because he said she definitely stayed a mile and a half and that’s why we were back here today.

“She’s very valuable and she’d have to be 100% to go to America (for the Filly & Mare Turf).”

Sands storms home to repay Fahey’s faith

QIPCO BRITISH

CHAMPIONS SPRINT

(GROUP 1)

THE bookmakers enjoyed easily their best result when Richard Fahey’s Sands Of Mali rediscovered his best form to lead all the way at 28/1 in the Champions Sprint, holding the gallant Harry Angel by a length, with Donjuan Triumphant third, ahead of Brando.

Harry Angel, invariably uneasy at the start, managed to break on terms and did nothing wrong in the race, but Sands Of Mali, quickly away for Paul Hanagan, was never seriously challenged and stayed on gamely all the way to the line.

He was hard to find on recent efforts, having finished fifth behind The Tin Man (a disappointing seventh here) in heavy ground at Haydock after modest runs at Newmarket and Deauville. However, he has often shown exceptional pace from the gate and finished second to Eqtidaar in the Commonwealth Cup here in June.

“I always thought Sands of Mali was a Group 1 horse but a couple of runs have been very disappointing and we don’t know why,” Fahey said. “We scoped him and checked his heart but couldn’t find anything. Luckily it all went to plan today.”

Several hardly got into it at all. The ground was much too soft for Limato, last year’s winner Librisa Breeze never threatened, and Dream Of Dreams beat only Bacchus home.