Best of the generations set to clash in £1.3m QIPCO Champion Stakes

Can Cirrus des Aigles regain his QIPCO Champion Stakes crown against a host of top-class three-year-olds? Image copyright of Racingfotos.com

Top of the bill on Britain’s richest raceday is the £1.3 million QIPCO Champion Stakes and a stellar cast of 45 of Europe’s best middle-distance horses have been entered for this year’s renewal.

Heading the older brigade of entries for Europe’s richest ten furlong race are Al Kazeem, already successful in two Series contests this year in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Coral-Eclipse, and Cirrus des Aigles. Corine Barande-Barbe’s stable star landed the race on the inaugural QIPCO British Champions Day in 2011 and will be aiming to regain his crown after chasing home the mighty Frankel twelve months later.  

A clutch of top-class three-year-olds have also been entered including the winners of the English, French and Irish Derbys, Ruler of the World, Trading Leather and Intello, together with the brilliant Toronado (who also holds an entry in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes for a re-match with Dawn Approach) and his stable companion Sky Lantern.

Others to take the eye in what looks set to be a mouth-watering finale to the Middle-Distance Series include last year’s QIPCO 2000 Guineas and Investec Derby winner, Camelot, the brilliant winner of the JLT Lockinge Stakes this May, Farhh, a pair of highly-regarded Sir Michael Stoute three-year-olds in the shape of Hillstar and Telescope, and the Aidan O’Brien-trained dark horse Kingsbarns, who was unbeaten at two but has yet to reappear this season.

If you want to be at Ascot on Saturday 19 October to witness these stars doing battle, then make sure that you secure your tickets today via the racecourse website!

The full entries are:

Al Kazeem (GB) 5 Mr D. J. Deer Roger Charlton  

Camelot (GB) 4 Mr D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier, Mr M. Tabor Aidan O’Brien  

Chicquita (IRE) 3 Mr P. Makin A. de Royer Dupre  

Cirrus des Aigles (FR) 7 Mr J. C. A. Dupouy Mrs C. Barande-Barbe  

Darwin (USA) 3 Mr D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier, Mr M. Tabor Aidan O’Brien  

Declaration of War (USA) 4 Mrs.J.Magnier/M.Tabor/D.Smith/J.Allen Aidan O’Brien  

Ektihaam (IRE) 4 Mr Hamdan Al Maktoum Roger Varian  

Farhh (GB) 5 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor  

Fate (FR) 4 Salinity Stables A. de Royer Dupre  

First Cornerstone (IRE) 3 Team Valor International LLC A. Oliver  

Gale Force Ten (GB) 3 Mr M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs John Magnier Aidan O’Brien  

Havana Gold (IRE) 3 Qatar Racing Limited & CSH Richard Hannon  

Hillstar (GB) 3 Sir Evelyn De Rothschild Sir Michael Stoute  

Hunter’s Light (IRE) 5 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor  

Intello (GER) 3 Wertheimer et Frere A. Fabre  

Just The Judge (IRE) 3 Qatar Racing Limited & Sangster Family Charles Hills  

Kingsbarns (IRE) 3 Mrs John Magnier,Mr M.Tabor & Mr D.Smith Aidan O’Brien  

Loch Garman (IRE) 3 Mrs J. S. Bolger J. S. Bolger  

Magician (IRE) 3 Mr M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs John Magnier Aidan O’Brien  

Main Sequence (USA) 4 Niarchos Family David Lanigan  

Mandour (USA) 4 Princess Zahra Aga Khan A. de Royer Dupre  

Manndawi (FR) 3 H.H. Aga Khan A. de Royer Dupre  

Maputo (GB) 3 Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Mark Johnston  

Mars (IRE) 3 Mr M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs John Magnier Aidan O’Brien  

Maxios (GB) 5 Niarchos Family J. E. Pease  

Morandi (FR) 3 Mr D. Treves Jean Claude Rouget  

Mukhadram (GB) 4 Mr Hamdan Al Maktoum William Haggas  

Ocovango (GB) 3 Prince A. A. Faisal A. Fabre  

Parish Hall (IRE) 4 Mrs J. S. Bolger J. S. Bolger  

Pastorius (GER) 4 Stall Antanando M. Hofer  

Planteur (IRE) 6 HE Sh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Marco Botti  

Remote (GB) 3 Mr K. Abdullah John Gosden  

Ruler of The World (IRE) 3 Mrs John Magnier,Mr M.Tabor & Mr D.Smith Aidan O’Brien  

Shikarpour (IRE) 3 H.H. Aga Khan A. de Royer Dupre  

Sky Lantern (IRE) 3 Mr B. Keswick Richard Hannon  

Smoking Sun (USA) 4 Niarchos Family P. Bary  

Sugar Boy (IRE) 3 Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum Marco Botti  

Superplex (FR) 3 Stall Eivissa Michael Figge  

Telescope (IRE) 3 Highclere Thoroughbred Racing -Wavertree Sir Michael Stoute  

The Apache (SAF) 6 Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum M. F. de Kock  

The Fugue (GB) 4 Lord Lloyd-Webber John Gosden  

Toronado (IRE) 3 HE Sh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Richard Hannon

Trading Leather (IRE) 3 Mrs J. S. Bolger J. S. Bolger  

Triple Threat (FR) 3 Team Valor Llc/ G. Barber A. Fabre  

Zardaka (IRE) 3 H.H. Aga Khan A. de Royer Dupre