Leading stayers entered for QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup

Forgotten Rules forges to Champions Day success in 2014 – can he follow up 12 months later?

The £300,000 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup has both last year’s winner, Forgotten Rules, and the reigning Ascot Gold Cup winner, Trip To Paris, among its 50 entries together with Big Orange and Quest For More, the two horses that beat Trip To Paris after a thrilling battle for last week’s Qatar Goodwood Cup.

Also engaged are the dual French St Leger hero, Tac de Boistron, the biggest prize money winner in British racing history, Red Cadeaux, and Michael Owen’s Brown Panther, who finally broke through at Group 1 level when landing last September’s Irish St Leger.

But, if there is to be a fairytale success here it will surely be down to Clever Cookie, the gelding bred by the mother of his North Yorkshire trainer, Peter Niven, who began his career competing for less than £2,000 in National Hunt Flat Races. He has relentlessly risen through the ranks until contesting the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes last time out, finishing fifth.
 
Niven said: “The QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup has been the aim for Clever Cookie all season. He came out of the King George absolutely fine.”

“We took a chance that day and he was probably out of his depth slightly over a mile and a half. The Long Distance Cup is the perfect race for him in regards to trip and hopefully the ground will suit.”

“We thought about supplementing him last year but it came at the end of a busy campaign and at a great cost so we decided to swerve it. This year we will go with a fresh horse and hopefully go with a big chance.”

Champions Day tickets are available from the Ascot Racecourse website. 

The full list of entries for the QIPCO British Long Distance Cup are:

Agent Murphy (GB), Alex My Boy (IRE), Aloft (IRE), Arabian Comet (IRE), Astronereus (IRE), Ayrad (IRE), Big Orange (GB), Biographer (GB), Blue Wave (IRE), Bondi Beach (IRE), Brown Panther (GB), Clever Cookie (GB), Clondaw Warrior (IRE), Deuce Again (GB), Digeanta (IRE), Fields of Athenry (IRE), Forever Now (GB), Forgotten Rules (IRE), Future Empire (GB), Gale Force (GB), Kalann (IRE), Khareef (IRE), Kilimanjaro (IRE), Kingfisher (IRE), Lady Dragon (IRE), Litigant (GB), Max Dynamite (FR), Mizzou (IRE), Mr Singh (GB), Notarised (GB), Order of St George (IRE), Oriental Fox (GER), Pallasator (GB), Quest For More (IRE), Rawaki (IRE), Red Cadeaux (GB), Romsdal (GB), Scotland (GER), Sea Moon (GB), Sheikhzayedroad (GB), Simenon (IRE), Simple Verse (IRE), Suegioo (FR), Tac de Boistron (FR), Trip To Paris (IRE), Vent de Force (GB), Vive Ma Fille (GER), Whiplash Willie (GB), Wicklow Brave (GB), Windsor Park (IRE).