If racing is to work it has to excite. The finish of the Champion Stakes did that and more. Especially if you had backed Anmaat at 40-1.
Not since 1993 when Steve Cauthen came from last to first to win in a three-way photo finish can there have been a more eventful last quarter mile of a Champion Stakes. Thankfully Ascot was spared the gale force storms that swept Newmarket that day, but after an early monsoon bright sunshine lit up a day worthy of its setting.
Mind you at moments these closing stages were nearer to polo than horse racing albeit with nine horses on the pitch rather than eight. Only Iresne and Nashwa not involved in the desperate efforts from the final turn.
Running to it you could guess there would be trouble. At the head of the field Continuous led his Aidan O’Brien stablemate Los Angeles with Royal Rhyme just in behind them, Kings Gambit outside Los Angeles, the French favourite Calandagan trapped on the inside with Anmaat beside him him and both Economics and Persica pushing up widest of all. Wind forward with difficulty.
As Economics powered up the outside Persica came even stronger outside him and the pair lugged in on King’s Gambit who was forced against the massive bulk of Los Angeles. Anmaat was knocked back in the ensuing muddle as was the challenging See The Fire. As Royal Rhyme forced his way into the lead alongside Continuous, Economics closed him down with what looked like a winning run only to weaken and see Calandagan squeeze through on the inside and finally take the lead his backers had hoped for.
But Calandagan, after a bad start and a rough passage now had the final misfortune of being in front with an unexpected and stronger challenger on his heels. Anmaaat may have been 40-1 and as a 6 year old gelding who finished fifth last time disregarded by pundits, but he is talented enough to have won the Group One Prix Ganay last season before nearly losing a hoof and this was only his third race this season. It was to be his moment of destiny.
Because the clock showed that Calandagan did not weaken but Anmaat, a jogging bundle of energy in the paddock, had the reserves to run the fastest of all final furlongs and deliver another triumph for jockey Jim Crowley and trainer Owen Burrows in the blue and white livery of Sheik Isa Al Maktoum’s Shadwell banner.
The pair had worked similar wonders in last year’s King George VI & QE II Stakes with Hukum, another Shadwell former injury case, and the jockey was understandably thrilled. “We were just stuck,” he said of Ascot’s polo type excitements, “but when he got the gap it was extraordinary the way he picked up.”
Calandagan enhanced his reputation and being, like Anmaat, a gelding we can look forward to seeing both of them again next season. The same can be said of Kyprios although he still retains both his breeding tackle and the astonishing ability which saw him win the Long Distance Cup and remain unbeaten in seven races this season.
The success only added to the laurels which have made Aidan O’Brien the champion trainer over here as well as in his native Ireland. Oisin Murphy is Irish born but long time based here and his impressive ride on Kalpana saw him log his 4th British title and, with 209 wins, 40 clear of Rossa Ryan his nearest rival, was a magnificent riposte to the demons that had threaten to derail him.
Kalpana is promising enough to be an Arc filly next year on a day when fellow three year old Kind Of Blue could be tilting for sprinting honours after giving Jame Fanshawe a third Champions Sprint success formerly won by Kind Of Blue’s relatives Deacon Blue and The Tin Man.
Charyn should be at stud by then but not before a last hurrah in Japan at the end of a season of sustained guts and achievement never better shown than in the way he came away from the French challenger Facteur Cheval in the final furlong of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
If you call a raceday Champions Day you need winners who wear their hearts on their shields. Yesterday Charyn, Anmaat and the others were worthy of the name.
“He’s unbelievable,” winning jockey Jim Crowley told Racing TV. “He’s always gone under the radar. It was touch and go whether he’d run in this race, and we came here to finish third or fourth behind Economics and Calandagan. To go and do what he did, it’s great.
“The first half went perfectly as I wanted to sit third or fourth and give myself an option, but I could see early on Los Angeles wasn’t taking Ryan [Moore] on at all. When we turned into the straight I had horses on my outside keeping me in and we just had to try and work our way through. We just got completely stopped, there was no option b or c at the time. We were just stuck, but when he got the gap it was extraordinary the way he picked up.”
I thought he’d win the Eclipse against Paddington, I was convinced he’d win, and he went wrong the day before. It looked like he’d never race again, it was in that much doubt. The vets and everyone at Shadwell have done a wonderful job to get him back.
“This year has been a bit slow for me. I’m used to having these big winners all the time, and this is my first Group 1 this year. To do it on a horse who has come back from injury, who they said would never race again, is great. Owen has done this with Hukum as well. It’s a brilliant comeback.”