Brilliant Baaeed set for emotional swansong

The world’s highest-rated horse on turf Baaeed is the headline act ready to light up the 12th edition of QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday.

The unbeaten Baaeed is among 16 Group 1 winners (winning 41 races at the highest level) who will be in action, with the likes of Trueshan, Verry Elleegant, Inspiral and Adayar joining him. In total, 78 runners have been declared for the six races.

There are superstars across the card that befit Britain’s richest raceday. To kick off the day in the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup, Trueshan is bidding to become the first horse to win a race at three QIPCO British Champions Days.

In the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO), three-time Group 1 winner Inspiral will face off against Classic winner Modern Games. And in the headline race of the day, the QIPCO Champion Stakes, Baaeed will take on last year’s Cazoo Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes winner Adayar in one of the most highly anticipated clashes of the season.

Baaeed’s trainer William Haggas said of Britain’s richest raceday: “QIPCO British Champions Day should be a real highlight for us, and for all of us in racing, and I think it is. We have Royal Ascot, and then we have this finale after lots of fantastic festivals during the summer. This is it really, and it looks like the decent horses are all coming here.”

Leading French trainer Francis Graffard, who has three entries declared across the card, said: “QIPCO British Champions Day is a fantastic day of very competitive racing and I’ve been coming for the last four or five years. It’s a big day in my calendar and I was lucky enough to win the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes with The Revenant two years ago.”

Britain’s Richest Raceday

The 12th running of QIPCO British Champions Day offers prize money of £4.15 million. The QIPCO Champion Stakes is set to be the richest mile and a quarter race in Europe this year with £1.3 million in prize money, with the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) also run for in excess of £1 million (£1.15 million) and is the richest mile race in Europe this year.

The going at Ascot is currently Good to Soft, Soft (in places). The latest Going Stick readings were 6.8 (straight) and 6.5 (round) on Thursday morning.