Barney, the word “British” has crept into the titles because of the QIPCO British Champions Series that is footing the bill for a fair bit of this change. If Twice Over is going to do a Champion Stakes hat-trick, he will have to adapt to running around a bend at Ascot as there is no straight ten furlongs like Newmarket. The winner of the Champion Stakes gets an automatic entry for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, but would they take it up? One is on the 15th October; the other is on 6th November. When Champions’ Day was originally dreamed up, John Gosden was amongst those who said that it should have been a month earlier to avoid the fixture congestion. He may be right. The “Fillies & Mares” race is what used to be the Pride Stakes at Newmarket. The name has probably been changed because she has no association with Ascot, the 2006 Champion Stakes at Newmarket being her only victory on these shores, I believe. If you want to be within a hundred yards of the winning post, the Premier enclosure at Ascot is the only place to go and you will need to buy in advance because it sells out. Take a good pair of hiking boots because you will spend most of your afternoon going up and down stairs.
