The end of the British flat season is near. On Saturday, the last prestigious meeting is about to be held at the Ascot Racecourse, and we bring you the Ascot races odds, where four G1 races attract high-quality participants, while the G2 Long Distance Cup also features some star-stayers. The most mouth-watering clashes should happen in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes with Baaeed and Palace Pier clashing for the very first time, and also, at the pinnacle of the day, the Champion Stakes as Mishriff will try to turn the tables on Adayar. The afternoon will also be the last chance for William Buick to catch Oisin Murphy in their charge for the Champion Jockey title.
British Champions Long Distance Cup
The series of prestigious British races for super stayers is concluded with this G2 turf event with the purse of £500,000, while three-year-old and older participants are about to cover the distance of two miles. To some extent, Saturday’s race feels like a rematch for the G1 Prix du Cadran, but Stradivarius (7-2) didn’t look the one to run Trueshan (5-4) down back in France, and he doesn’t look like that again. The seven-year-old horse trained by John and Thady Gosden has won basically every single British race on such a distance; however, his form in the last two seasons is naturally a bit weaken as he grows old. Stradivarius is still respected here, moreover, when the ground stays good, but Trueshan’s chances to win the Long Distance Cup again are just more appealing. The Alan King bound five-year-old achieved his first G2 victory in last year’s edition of the race, scoring by remarkable 7 and ½ length before Search For A Song, while he bagged his first G1 success in July by winning the Goodwood Cup. In the Prix du Cardan, Trueshan proved uncatchable for his rivals again, and despite the fact he’d prefer softer ground on Saturday, he deserves to be perceived as the leading chance for the Long Distance Cup 2021.
The team around five-year-old Princess Zoe (10:1) strived to score the second Prix du Cadran in Longchamp, yet the mare wasn’t granted with as heavy ground as she would’ve liked. Also, she probably isn’t classy enough to challenge Stradivarius and Trueshan so that she might repeat the fifth place from France here. Still, she doesn’t belong among favourites anymore, especially when the surface isn’t expected to be anything near heavy. Baron Samedi (7-1) is an interesting stayer, given he’s scored two G2 races so far, including Belmont Gold Cup Stakes over two miles. The four-year-old gelding lacks something to join the absolute elite but always tries hard in the final stretch regardless of the ground conditions. However, there’s still another concern about him – he’s apparently not capable of running straight as he always twists in various ways under his jockey. Based on what was said, Baron Samedi should run well, but challenging the couple of most preferred participants seems a bit far-fetched.
In October 2019, Hamish (6-1) managed to get the better of Trueshan in a Class 2 race; however, the five-year-old gelding recorded just one start last year, which applies to the season 2021, too, so far. Still, his only this year’s outing resulted in an eye-catching effort in a G3 race on the all-weather surface at Kempton, where he headed smart Hukum. Hamish seems to be the one who could surprise the leading chances here, maybe together with Berkshire Rocco (12-1), who finished second in last year’s St Leger to Galileo Chrome. Since then, he’s taken second place in Riyadh and in a Class 2 race in September, and it seems he hasn’t still shown everything he’s capable of. The last to mention is three-year-old The Mediterranean (14-1), third in the St Leger 2021, who developed into a very reliably and trying stayer.
| Horse | Jockey | Horse Racing Odds courtesy off Jazzsports |
| TRUESHAN | Hollie Doyle | +138 |
| STRADIVARIUS | Frankie Dettori | +350 |
| HAMISH | Tom Marquand | +550 |
| BARON SAMEDI | Dylan Browne McMonagle | +750 |
| PRINCESS ZOE | J M Sheridan | +800 |
| BERKSHIRE ROCCO | Jason Watson | +1400 |
| THE MEDITERRANEAN | Ryan Moore | +1400 |
| MASTER OF REALITY | James Doyle | +2200 |
| ROBERTO ESCOBARR | William Buick | +2200 |
| MORANDO | Silvestre De Sousa | +4000 |
| TASHKHAN | Ben Robinson | +5000 |
| NICHOLAS T | Paul Mulrennan | +8000 |
Our betting prediction for the Long Distance Cup is: Trueshan because he currently seems to be the best stayer in Europe.
British Champions Sprint Stakes
The British series for elite sprinters is also about to end in Ascot as the Saturday’s race offers the purse of £500,000 for three-year-old and older horses that will clash at the distance of 6 furlongs. At first sight, the field is strongly competitive, and with the absence of Starman, who was retired, and Oxted, who is on the sidelines, an upset is at hand. There are favourites, of course, but they lack the aura of champions the mentioned duo boasted. Still, Art Power (4-1) is a respected contestant due to his latest exploit at the G3 scene. In other words, he destroyed the competition by at least five lengths, suggesting his form is culminating. The four-year-old colt trained by Tim Easterby finished fourth in the Sprint Stakes in 2020, while he accumulated third, fourth and fifth place in the G1 races this year, while the expected good to soft ground should play to his cards. Art Power could bag his first victory among the elite on Saturday as his most serious rivals actually could be a bit tired from their difficult campaigns. Dragon Symbol (4-1), trained by Archie Watson, has run 10 times since March, and even though he hasn’t finished worse than fourth, placing second in both the Commonwealth Cup and July Cup, his efforts are rated lower and lower. He’s a brilliant sprinter for sure, but he might be short of breath on Saturday. Still, he shouldn’t finish worse than fifth, which applies also to another three-year-old in the field, Rohaan (9-2). The David Evans bound gelding hasn’t had anything resembling a break in the season as he’s regularly hitting the track since last October. He’s run 17 times since then, including denying Dragon Symbol a G2 success in May. In the G1 company, he hasn’t shown anything interesting in the first two starts, but in the Flying Five Stakes at Curragh, Rohaan’s fifth place wasn’t bad at all. If he repeats the performance, he should place on Saturday.
Although the mentioned duo of three-year-olds may be pretty likeable, Creative Force (6-1) might be even better in this event and make amends for his underwhelming sixth place in the Sprint Cup Stakes at Haydock. He shined neither in the July Cup, so it could be said he isn’t good enough to strike in the G1 company; still, the Charlie Appleby trained chestnut didn’t seem to enjoy the good to firm conditions back then. Being granted with good to soft this time, Creative Force might come back with a bang here. Minzaal (8-1) and Happy Romance (20-1) look classy enough to be in the mix as well, while Glen Shiel (20-1) won the Sprint Stakes last year, but with one exception at Royal Ascot, his performances have been below par in 2021. Last time out, he was no match for successful Vadream (12-1) as the three-year-old filly scored a G3 race over six furlongs, suggesting shorter distances suit her well.
| Horse | Jockey | Horse Racing Odds courtesy off Jazzsports |
| DRAGON SYMBOL | Oisin Murphy | +400 |
| ART POWER | Silvestre De Sousa | +450 |
| ROHAAN | Ryan Moore | +450 |
| CREATIVE FORCE | William Buick | +650 |
| MINZAAL | Jim Crowley | +650 |
| KINROSS | Frankie Dettori | +900 |
| HAPPY ROMANCE | Sean Levey | +1600 |
| THUNDER MOON | Tom Marquand | +2200 |
| LAST EMPIRE | Daniel Tudhope | +4000 |
| KEEP BUSY | James Doyle | +4000 |
Our betting tip for the British Champions Sprint Stakes is: Art Power, as he’s consistent at the G1 scene and should have something left in the tank even at the end of the season. For the braver wagers, we suggest trying out Vadream for placing here.
British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes
The G1 turf race over the mile and a half is next on Snowfall’s (9-2) agenda. Her trainer Aidan O’Brien had suggested the three-year-old filly might take on the competition of the Champion Stakes, but as he had to scratch Love from this £500,000-race for three-year-old and older fillies and mares, Snowfall stepped in. The bay has three G1 victories under her belt, including the breath-taking performance in the Epsom Oaks; however, her two most recent efforts were a bit underwhelming. She possibly had some excuses for the second place in the Prix Vermeille; however, it’s never been really considered she should be stopped at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe by the heavy going. But Snowfall didn’t fare at Longchamp back then, finishing sixth. Still, her effort was at least gallant in such a competition, so if the daughter of Deep Impact displays something similar on Saturday, she might add another G1 success to her record.
It’s true, though, she’s not as respected as she used to be in summer, and therefore, the British Champions fillies & mares Stakes is not perceived as a one-horse race at all. In the field of 8 contestants, four-year-old Albaflora (8-1) looks the most dangerous rival for Snowfall. Since the beginning of the season, the grey filly was creating the impression she could belong among the elite of fillies and mares at the longer distances, which she affirmed by her third place in the G2 Lillie Langtry Stakes and when finishing second in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks behind Snowfall. He hasn’t hit the track since August, but if Ralph Beckett was his charge systematically preparing for this race, Albaflora will probably try to turn the tables on Snowfall. In terms of the rest of the field, almost every single contestant looks set to have a good chance to place here. Three-year-old Invite (10-1) ran down some quality rivals in a Listed race last time out, Eshaada (11:1), Tribal Craft (33-1), and Lady Hayes (33-1) achieved second places in the G2 company. And although she starts only after eight days, La Joconde (33-1) has already shown she can be much more than just a pace-setter for Snowfall, finishing third in the Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille.
| Horse | Jockey | Horse Racing Odds courtesy off Jazzsports |
| SNOWFALL | Ryan Moore | -120 |
| ALBAFLORA | Rossa Ryan | +450 |
| INVITE | J F Egan | +450 |
| ESHAADA | Jim Crowley | +800 |
| TRIBAL CRAFT | Oisin Murphy | +2000 |
| LA JOCONDE | Hollie Doyle | +2500 |
| LADY HAYES | Andrea Atzeni | +2800 |
| MYSTERY ANGEL | Ben Curtis | +3300 |
Our betting prediction for the British Champions fillies & mares Stakes is: Snowfall because, despite her recent winless efforts, she’s still the one who took sixth place in the 100th running of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. In other words, in the most prestigious European race everyone wants to win.
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
Among milers, this G1 turf race with a purse of £1,100,000 is simply packed with high-class horses. Although the 2000 Guineas Poetic Flare has already been retired, the line-up is fascinating and promises the very first clash between Palace Pier (3-2) and Baaeed (7-4). At the distance of one mile, ten three-year-old and older horses are set to meet on a good to a soft surface, which shouldn’t bother the couple, but Palace Pier trained by John and Thady Gosden is currently the preferred one. Last year, the bay colt quickly developed into a top-notch performer, winning two G1 races and concluding the season with a third place in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes behind The Revenant (15-2) as the ground was too soft for him back then. In 2021, Palace Pier is unbeaten. After dominating the field of a G2 race, he went on to add three G1 victories in the Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes, and Prix Jacques le Marois, where he defeated Poetic Flare by a neck. The awesome miler hasn’t hit the track since August; he’s not a horse suffering from long pauses between races, though, so everything seems to be set for the mouth-watering clash with Baaeed trained by William Haggas. The progressive three-year-old is unbeaten in his five starts, while everything about him shouted class since the beginning. From smaller races, Baaeed climbed effortlessly to Listed and G3 victories, upon which he was pointed to France where he proved to be a G1 horse by prevailing over Order of Australia in the G1 Prix du Moulin. It’s not up to debate that Baaeed hasn’t faced such a fierce competition he’s about to on Saturday. But he has a considerable chance to strike this, given he doesn’t mind the expected ground, and it’s always looked that a mile should suit him best.
Besides the mentioned duo sired by Sea The Stars, the field features terrific three-year-old fillies from which Alcohol Free (7-1) seems the classier one. However, she’d prefer a softer surface, while Mother Earth (16:1) performs well on every ground. It showed in the 1000 Guineas where Mother Earth bagged her first G1 victory and Alcohol Free had to settle for fifth place, but on the heavy, Alcohol Free left Mother Earth Behind in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Both of the fillies wouldn’t surprise when running a huge race here, but the competition is super-tough, given the G1 winner’s Lady Bowthorpe (16-1) and Lord Glitters (50-1) are the outsiders of the race. The Revenant from France bagged the last edition of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, yet, he thrives only on softer surfaces, so the globetrotter Benbatl (14:1) and the 2000 Guineas-second Master of the Seas (8:1) could better him on Saturday.
| Horse | Jockey | Horse Racing Odds courtesy off Jazzsports |
| PALACE PIER | Frankie Dettori | +163 |
| BAAEED | Jim Crowley | +250 |
| MASTER OF THE SEAS | William Buick | +700 |
| ALCOHOL FREE | Oisin Murphy | +800 |
| THE REVENANT | Olivier Preslier | +800 |
| BENBATL | Pat Cosgrave | +1600 |
| MOTHER EARTH | Ryan Moore | +1600 |
| LADY BOWTHORPE | Kieran Shoemaker | +1800 |
| NJORD | Tom Marquand | +6600 |
| LORD GLITTERS | Daniel Tudhope | +8000 |
Our free betting pick for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes: is Palace Pier due to his G1 exploits and experience at the highest level.
Champion Stakes
The final big day of the British flat season is concluded with the G1 event for three-year-old and older horses that will compete at the distance of a mile and a quarter. The purse of £1,200,000 attracted the field of 10 participants, including last year’s winner Addeybb (5-1), who scored on the soft surface he adores. Such a ground isn’t predicted to feature on Saturday’s races, moreover, the seven-year-old gelding hasn’t run since the beginning of July. He’s a respected contestant as, since July 2019, Addeybb hasn’t finished worse than second in 12 races, winning eight of them, including three G1 events in Australia where he left behind even local superstar Veerry Elleegant. The leading chances are to be found elsewhere, in other words, in Mishriff (27-20) and Adayar (2-1).
The former is trained by John and Thady Gosden, for who he won his first G1 in Chantilly last year, and even though he failed to impress in the Champion Stakes 2020, he had his excuses due to the soft ground. Mishriff utterly astonished the world when running down Charlatan in the Saudi Cup in February, upon which he continued his four-year-old campaign with a G1 victory in Meydan. Then he added a second place in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. He handles the distance of a mile and a half, but Adayar was simply stronger on that day, beating Mishriff by one and ¾ of a length. However, the bay colt followed onto the Juddmonte International, where he enjoyed his moment in the spotlight, scoring the prestigious race easily by 6 lengths. Since then, he’s been working towards Saturday’s race, skipping the Arc, unlike Adayar, who grabbed fourth place here. Adayar’s fall campaign wasn’t that tough on him, so after 13 days, he’s again about to run an exciting race, yet on a distance that plays to Mishriff’s favour. Still, the Epsom Derby winner Adayar, trained by Charlie Appleby, seems to possess enough speed to be a solid rival for the favourite.
Also, other participants are classy ones as Dubai Honour (6-1) scored a G2 race in October at Longchamp, while Sealiway (12-1) finished fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Yet, they should be no match for the aforementioned trio of multiple G1 winners.
| Horse | Jockey | Horse Racing Odds courtesy off Jazzsports |
| MISHRIFF | David Egan | +163 |
| ADAYAR | William Buick | +175 |
| ADDEYBB | Tom Marquand | +650 |
| DUBAI HONOUR | James Doyle | +650 |
| SEALIWAY | Mickael Barzalona | +1200 |
| AL AASY | Jim Crowley | +2000 |
| BOLSHOI BALLET | Ryan Moore | +3300 |
| MAC SWINEY | Kevin Manning | +3300 |
| FOXES TALES | Silvestre De Sousa | +4000 |
| EUCHEN GLEN | Paul Mulrennan | +6600 |