Beat The Bank heads straight to Champions Day

Beat The Bank has won two Group 2 prizes this summer. Picture: Steven Cargill / Racingfotos.com

Andrew Balding will send Beat The Bank straight to QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on October 20 for a second tilt at the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO).

The four-year-old, who has tasted Group 2 glory this year in both the Summer Mile at the Berkshire track and last time out in the Celebration Mile at Goodwood, will bid to make it fifth time lucky at the top table in the mile prize, in which he finished tenth last year.

Balding said: “He had a dirty scope, so that is why we decided not to run him in the Joel Stakes (at Newmarket), otherwise he would have been an intended runner.

“Everything else has been OK and the plan now is to go straight to the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day.”

Unfortunately, trained by Karl Burke and owned by Cheveley Park, could also be bound for Champions Day after landing the Group 3 Renaissance Stakes at Naas on Sunday.

“I’ll have to speak to Chris Richardson (of Cheveley Park) and the team. The only race now for him is the Ascot sprint and if that came up with a bit cut in the ground we have nothing to lose by having a go at that.”

Cypress Creek put up a solid staying performance to land the Group 3 Loughbrown Stakes on the card at Naas.

The full-brother to Capri was cut to 20-1 from 66-1 with Paddy Power for the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup.

“He’s a lovely, straightforward, uncomplicated horse,” said winning trainer Aidan O’Brien. “He stays forever and will get much further than two miles. He’s Kew Gardens’ work companion and that will determine a lot of his time.

“Ana (daughter) rides him every day and I don’t have much to do with him. Ana is more or less training him.”