Champions Day 2024 Review

Hi all,

Inside today’s main piece, you can read my thoughts on Champions Day 2024. Plus, I have a few pointers for Pontefract's Monday card.

Champions Day 2024 Review:

The sun shone for Champions Day 2024, and as forecast, the going was soft. It was one of the deepest Champions Days I can recall, with field sizes holding up well. While it wasn’t a good day for me punting-wise, the quality of racing more than made up for it with some fantastic performances.

Long Distance Cup:

Kyprios confirmed himself as the staying champion. He tracked the modest pace set by stablemate The Euphrates and proved too classy for Sweet William and the rest.

British Champions Sprint:

Kind Of Blue, who had been steadily progressing when just touched off in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock, went one place better in a slow-motion finish. He had yet to run on soft ground, but both his close relatives, The Tin Man and Deacon Blues, handled it well and improved with racing. In hindsight, 10/1 was good value.

Swingalong, runner-up twice in Group 1 sprints this season, fought bravely to finish second, and Beauvatier once again caught the eye but didn’t get the breaks. He seems the type that needs everything to fall right.

Kind Of Blue has come a long way in a short time and being only a 3-year-old from a family that improves with age, he could dominate the sprint division next season.

Fillies & Mares Stakes:

I said on Friday that I wanted to take on Kalpana at around 7/4. The filly was unproven on soft ground, and her pedigree didn’t suggest she’d want testing conditions. Hands up, I was wrong — as was Ruby Walsh, who thought the same.

Kalpana showed versatility with an impressive 2-length success. After her win at Kempton, I suggested she’d be a lively outsider for the Arc on good ground, so I had no doubts about her ability to win on Champions Day 2024. Given a no-nonsense ride by William Buick, she was the only horse able to quicken in Saturday’s conditions.

Runner-up Wingspan had the run of the race out in front and maintained her recent improvement. This wasn’t the strongest renewal, but Kalpana, capable of better as a 4-year-old, impressed.

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes:

Charyn produced the performance of the day, fending off last year’s winner Facteur Cheval to land his third Group 1 of a busy season.

I thought Charyn was worth opposing, given he started his season back in March at the Lincoln meeting. But once again, I got it wrong — he’s as tough as nails – as fought off last year’s runner-up Facteur Cheval.  In victory he produced what in my view was the performance of Champions Day 2024.

The older mile division isn’t vintage, and it’s a shame that top 3-year-olds Notable Speech and Rosallion couldn’t take him on. Still, Charyn was relentless and deserved his third Group 1 of the season.

Champion Stakes:

Anmaat upset the well-fancied Calandagan and Economics with a 40/1 victory in the feature race. It was rough but exhilarating and produced the race of the day which you can watch here.

Calandagan lost five lengths at the start and was rushed up by his jockey. Despite the poor start and waiting for a gap 2f out, he showed his class to lead inside the final furlong, but Anmaat cut him down in the final 50 yards.

Both horses had to wait for gaps, but Anmaat was the only one to run a faster final furlong than second-last furlong. If Calandagan hadn’t burned so much energy early on, he probably would’ve won. Instead, he was just beaten by a distance specialist who thrives on soft ground.

Anmaat’s win wasn’t a shock to readers of this column, as I gave him a good each-way chance in Thursday’s piece.

Economics finished 6th and was found to have bled from the nose, as he did after winning the Dante at York — a concern for the future. His hard race in the Irish Champions Stakes and here likely contributed.

Anmaat’s win was the training performance of the day by Owen Burrows, considering the 6-year-old’s foot issues that kept him off the track for 439 days until August.

Balmoral Handicap:

Carrytheone, who had been running creditably (but frustratingly for backers) in big-field handicaps all season, finally got his ideal setup, coming from the rear to win the closing race.

The return to soft ground saw Lattam bounce back to form in second, while Witch Hunter ran on into third.

Well-backed favourite Thunder Run, always up with the pace, only gave way close to home. Given the first three came from the rear, it was a cracking effort. He would likely have preferred better ground, and remains one to keep onside next season. He had been off for 58 days since winning at York, breaking the trend of recent winners who’d run within 11-25 days. That trend was upheld by winner Carrytheone.

Elnajmm, back in fifth, handled soft ground well enough but ran like he needed further than a mile. He could land a big handicap next season if he stays in training with William Haggas.

Champions Day 2024 Verdict:

Despite the soft ground, we didn’t see as many shocks as expected. If, like me, you opposed favourites like Kalpana (whom the bookies couldn’t give away), it wasn’t your day. But it was still a thrilling day of top-class racing, with several champions crowned.

Monday Racing

Pontefract

The going at Pontefract was soft, heavy in places on Sunday lunchtime. However, it was a sunny and windy on Sunday afternoon and is set to be dry and sunny on Monday.

Just five runners line up for Monday’s feature race, the Listed Tankard Stakes at Pontefract (3:15).

Calla Lagoon looks the one to beat. He built on a promising Kempton debut with a win in an Ascot maiden (7f) last month, a race that’s produced three winners since. The mile trip should suit the New Bay colt, and he handled soft ground well last time. He’s primed for improvement, and his stable has won this race in 2015 and 2018. His biggest challenge could come from Love Talk, who won a Goodwood nursery on heavy ground 26 days ago. She should enjoy the step up to a mile and should put it up to the favourite if the ground is testing.

Rest of the Pontefract card:

Weather permitting, I’ll be heading to Pontefract for an afternoon at the races. Here’s a quick dive into the rest of the card:

3:45 – I’ll be laying early favourite Alcazan. I also considered laying last time out Newmarket winner Sophia’s Starlight given her trainer Grant Tuer is 8 winners from 60 bets 13% -35.98 A/E= 0.66 with his last time out handicap winners. However, one of those 8 winners was Sophia’s Starlight in July 2023, and she could get an uncontested lead which complicates things.

4:45 – Paddy The Squire was fancied for both the Cambridgeshire and a valuable York handicap but didn’t fire in either race. He’s nicely handicapped on a going day, but first-time cheekpieces will need to spark improvement. Shamran, a novice winner at Salisbury, is interesting on handicap debut for powerful connections, but he’s been a non-runner twice on soft ground and may not run if the ground is too testing.

Spirit Of Acklam has no going concerns and won on soft at Ripon in the spring. After five months off, he returned with a promising third at Ayr 20 days ago and looks poised to improve further.

5:20: Winged Messenger should benefit from the return to softer ground and a stiff 5f. He won a soft-ground maiden last October and hasn’t had testing conditions since finishing a close-up third at Thirsk in April. Off a mark of 72, there’s surely a sprint handicap in him. Jojo Rabbit, a winner on soft ground at Doncaster (5 ½ f) in June, returned to form when 4th at Wolverhampton 21 days ago and could grab a place.

Despite dry weather I’m still anticipating soft ground on Monday, but I won’t be making any bets until I know how the track is riding.

Good luck with your Monday bets.

John