CONSTITUTION RIVER HEADS O’BRIEN’S QATAR RACING BRITISH CHAMPIONS DAY TEAM AS BALDING EYES THREEPEAT WITH KALPANA

Aidan O’Brien is anticipating an improved performance from Constitution River as he bids to get back on track in the G1 Qatar Racing Champion Stakes, highlight of Qatar Racing British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 17th October.

Constitution River enjoyed a stellar first half of the season with three straight victories, including authoritative displays in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Eclipse Stakes.

The son of Wootton Bassett subsequently weakened to third in both the G1 Juddmonte International and G1 Irish Champion Stakes, which left connections considering a drop back in trip for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Sponsored By Qatar Racing).

With that plan shelved on Wednesday evening, Irish 2,000 Guineas victor Gstaad will instead lead Coolmore’s challenge in Europe’s premier mile contest following his third in the G1 Prix du Moulin.

Speaking on a media call organised by Ascot Racecourse, O’Brien explained: “We were considering very strongly running Gstaad over a mile and a quarter and Constitution River over a mile but, as the week went on, we saw it was going to be a very competitive Champion Stakes and felt it would be tough on Gstaad going into a race like that first time over the trip.

“Ascot suits Gstaad very well – he won the Coventry there last year – and we think he is a top-class miler. There were circumstances when he last ran the Moulin because a lot of the horses were under the weather at the time. I probably might have messed up the tactics a little bit as well. They didn’t go over fast and Longchamp is a much quicker mile than most places.

“there is a good chance that he can improve on his last couple of runs”

“We thought it would be fair to Constitution River as well to stick over a mile and a quarter, as we know what he can do over the trip. With the circumstances around the horses I have mentioned, there is a good chance that he can improve on his last couple of runs, when he didn’t really finish off.

“We felt in York the reason for that was because the pace was very strong and he got hung up in it early, perhaps in a gear too high the whole race. In Leopardstown, it was similar in that he got to the front early because the pace fell away and then emptied out at the half-furlong pole. Initially, we were not sure if that was because he wasn’t staying but, with the health of the horses at the time, he may have just been getting tired quicker than usual.”

In addition, O’Brien’s eight-strong team for Britain’s richest raceday features Minnie Hauk in the G1 Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes and Queenstown in the G1 Qatar Racing British Champions Long Distance Cup.

The trainer added: “Minnie Hauk likes a nice, evenly run mile and a half. We felt she ran very well in the Arc, given she had problems with corns in the lead up, and since then she has been very good.

“Queenstown is a solid horse. Two miles will suit him very well. There are a few in the race who have the form to finish in front of him, but we think he is progressive, and we don’t think he has finished progressing yet.

“Amelia Earhart looks like she has a good chance of getting two miles. If you look at her last run in France over a mile and six furlongs, she was staying on. We also trained her brother [Cleveland] and he was at his best over two miles, so that will be interesting. “We have done a very bad job with Confucius [who runs in the Qatar Racing British Champions Day Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes]. He is a very good worker, but we just can’t get him to get it together. We tried him in blinkers last time and that was a disaster because he didn’t like them and never travelled at all. He is a classy horse, but you have not seen it on the track yet. We have left all the headgear off and will ride a normal race on him. He definitely has a lot of ability.”

Andrew Balding’s hopes of becoming Britain’s champion trainer for the first time could be decided by Kalpana and See The Fire in the G1 Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes.

Winner of the 12-furlong contest in 2024 and 2025, Kalpana bids to become only the second horse after Trueshan to win three times on Qatar Racing British Champions Day. The five-year-old makes a quick reappearance after finishing fifth in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, a race she finished seventh in last year. 

Balding leads O’Brien by less than £100,000 in the trainers’ championship, which concludes at the end of December, with the Kingsclere and Ballydoyle handlers both closing in on a meteoric £9 million in prize money.

“Kalpana is probably my favourite horse I have trained.”

Balding said: “I probably said exactly the same thing coming here last year, but it is quite a difficult read when you are backing up 13 days later, so we have followed exactly the same programme with Kalpana. She sat upsides [in her work] on Wednesday and seemed fine. She has eaten well, looks well, and appears to have come out of France really well.

“I thought she ran a solid race in the Arc, finishing fifth with four extremely good horses in front of her and a few good ones behind her. It was probably an upgrade on her performance at Longchamp last year.

“Kalpana is probably my favourite horse I have trained. She has been such a joy to have in the yard for this long. She is a delight to have anything to do with and, while I am very proud of her achievements, I am just very fond of her as a horse. I would say that love is shared across the yard – she is everybody’s favourite.

“I think the Fillies & Mares is probably a must win in terms of the trainers’ championship. Aidan sets such an incredibly high standard and is going into this crucial meeting with a much stronger hand than us. We are not expecting anything and are just very proud of our achievements this year to get as close as we have to him. He is the trainer of a generation – or even generations.”

On his other chances, Balding added: “Marvelman [Qatar Racing British Champions Sprint Stakes] has essentially been a disappointment. He looked every inch a top-class horse in the autumn of last year. He has not quite had the rub of the green this year and I would have been quite keen on his chance but for his Haydock run, which we still can’t explain. Charlie Bond, who owns him, was keen to run in support of the trainers’ championship bid, so I am grateful for that. The horse has ability and any rain between now and then would enhance his chance. “Mount Atlas [Qatar Racing British Champions Long Distance Cup] has won a Group Three this year. He has improved a lot and ran well in the Lonsdale Cup. I think Ascot might suit him a little better than York. He is a strong traveller and we have kept him relatively fresh with this race in mind. It would not surprise me if he ran well, but I think he is an unlikely winner.”

On the British trainers’ championship, O’Brien said: “It is a privilege and pleasure for us to be involved in it. It is great anytime you do win it because it is very difficult. We know Andrew well and would only always wish him the very best.

“It did not affect any of our running plans for Champions Day because we always put the horses first. There are things we could have done, such as running the filly [Sun Goddess] back in the Fillies’ Mile or Scandinavia on Saturday, but we just felt it wasn’t the right thing.

“After this, we only really have the Futurity Trophy left and then we are finished. For us, we will probably have to win one of the good races and that won’t be easy, especially this time of the year with horses having had long, hard seasons. If it happens, we will be over the moon.”

GROUND UPDATE

Chris Stickels, Head of Racing and Clerk of the Course at Ascot Racecourse, said: “We’ve had around 3.5mm rain this morning, which has taken the ground back to Good all over. The rain has cleared through and the forecast for the rest of the day is to be sunny and dry and then tomorrow is slightly cooler but also dry. I expect conditions to be broadly where they are now by the time racing gets underway. The track is in great condition and we are all set for a fantastic day.”