Clues in the most likely of places - A first peek forward to British Champions Day

There are hard acts to follow and then there ‘s Treve. And if there’s not Treve, there’s Moonlight Cloud. In the first of a series of articles looking forward to British Champions Day, we ask what we can take from a tremendous day’s racing to help give clues with what should be an equally memorable experience.

While there were some top British horses in action over the card – some having much better luck than others – the best clue for a success of the most British kind possible may have come in the very last race. Marco Botti’s Tac De Boistron looked to be well on his way to giving Martin Harley a first Group 1 win, but German stayer Altano, having finally gotten the positive ride that he deserved under Eddie Pedroza, had too much stamina for the British raider. The Queen’s Estimate, a hard fought winner of the Ascot Gold Cup back in the summer, had an admittedly poorly ridden Altano nearly 6 lengths behind her that day and the Group 1 success for the German is the first success for a Gold Cup runner. A likely to be favourite for the Long Distance Cup that kicks off the card, the ending of a fine day may have given us a big clue for the beginning of our British Champions Day.

But arguably the weekend’s biggest clue, for the biggest race of Champions Day, came on the much-unheralded Arc Saturday, with 2011 Champions Stakes winner Cirrus Des Aigles giving his best performance season when strolling to a third consecutive win in the Prix Dollar and launching himself to favouritism for the feature event.

Back on his favoured soft ground after what had been a very underwhelming season, and helped by Planteur’s fierce gallop, Cirrus travelled with all the ease and grace and class that we have seen from him at his best before sprinting away to seal the race in a matter of strides - something that we’ve not seen from him as many times this season as in the past.

The world’s highest rated horse after Frankel’s retirement following their epic duel in last year’s feature showpiece (as seen above), Cirrus’s early season defeat in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud wasn’t exactly a shock for those who have followed him properly – he has never won on his seasonal debut - and a heavy defeat in the King George, while disappointing in the immediate aftermath, was no surprise given the lightening quick ground that contributed to Novelist smashing the course record that day – something suggested by connections on the day.

But even if that was all understandable, to see Barbe’s fabulous seven year old out-sprinted by Petit Chevalier in the Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron and then unable to better fifth in the Grand Prix De Deavuille was hardly encouraging – so an win in a Maisons Laffite Group 3, while proving little, was helpful – even if it didn’t suggest that Dollar destruction that was upcoming. What did it tell us in regards to Champions Day?

Well, for one, while the Arc was built around Orfevre, Treve, Novelist – until his sad withdrawal - and Kizuna for many, we now have a potential four way tie between Cirrus, fresh from his seasonal best, The Fugue, who has dispatched of her opposition with a clear run the last twice in fine style, Declaration of War, who has progressed with each run this season, and Farhh, who destroyed the Lockinge field at the beginning of the season and has been a regular at the top level since his unlucky third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. With Treve having scorched the turf, and many people’s minds, with that performance on Sunday, the phrase ‘whatever you can do, we can do better’, might be a brave one, but we have a hell of a show to put on later this month.

This was written for with the official team behind QPICO's British Champions Day. Tickets for the late-season spectacular are selling fast, so make sure you don’t miss out and Get them here now!