England: Bayside Boy surprises with Queen Elizabeth II triumph

Shock winner Bayside Boy outkicked pacesetting Jadoomi and Modern Games to land the Group 1, $1.23 million Queen Elizabeth II Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths Saturday at Ascot.

Three-year-old filly Inspiral was the odds-on favorite in the QE II but badly blew the start, raced from last, and failed to muster a real rally under Frankie Dettori, checking in sixth.

Under Tom Marquand, Bayside Boy sat chilly at the tail of the field, racing alongside Inspiral, as Jadoomi led through a moderate tempo in the straight-course mile. Modern Games waited in third and came out from behind cover with a little more than a quarter-mile left to run, but as he inched closer to Jadoomi, Bayside Boy had taken flight on the far side of the field. Closing steadily, he hit the front with a half-furlong left to race and drew clear to the finish.

Modern Games edged Jadoomi by a nose for second as the top three came home well in front of the rest of the field. The winning time of 1:45.53 was nearly seven seconds slower than par, with the Ascot course surely much softer than the official “good-to-soft” designation. The ground surely moved up Bayside Boy, who paid $78.10 to win in America - for good reason. Trained by Roger Varian, the 3-year-old son of New Bay and the Anabaa mare Alava had finished 13th and seventh in his two Group 1 starts earlier this year. He was coming off a listed stakes win over soft ground at Sandown and ran the race of his life on Saturday winning his first Group 1.

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The QE II is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series offering the winner automatic fees-paid entry into the BC Mile and travel expenses to Keeneland. There was no immediate word on whether Bayside Boy, who is Breeders’ Cup eligible, would target the Mile, though a trip to Kentucky would seem unlikely. Modern Games, however, became the BC Mile favorite after a sharp win in the Woodbine Mile and remains on target for a trip to Keeneland.

Jadoomi also could show up for the BC Mile. “I think it will have to be considered,” co-trainer Ed Crisford said in post-race comments.

Kinross to BC Mile off Champions Sprint score

Kinross has hit peak form this fall, winning the Group 1 Prix de La Foret on Oct. 2 at Longchamp and the Group 1 British Champions Sprint on Saturday at Ascot, and if he can maintain that performance level for three more weeks, Kinross can pull off a unique Grade 1 triple in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Trainer Ralph Beckett confirmed a Keeneland trip for Kinross after the 5-year-old gelding proved much the best in the Champions Sprint, cutting back from a turning seven furlongs to straight six furlongs on Saturday while showing more than enough pace to get the job done.

With Frankie Dettori guiding him, Kinross raced third in the group of horses on the stands-side rail as the 18-runner Sprint split into two distinct groups shortly after the start. Dettori quietly let Kinross move up with about 2 1/2 furlongs left to race and Kinross, just cruising, had nearly overtaken pacesetting Naval Crown with a quarter-mile remaining. Going over the sort of soft turf he relishes, Kinross quickly opened daylight, and no one came close to matching his finish, the winner coming home 2 1/4 lengths clear of massive longshot Run to Freedom. Creative Forced finished third, a neck behind Run to Freedom and a half-length better than Rohaan.

Kinross is by Kingman out of Ceilidh House, by Selkirk, and is owned by Marc Chan. A promising 2-year-old of 2019, Kinross had a spotty 3-year-old season and was gelded in 2021 following two tame showings in Dubai. He turned in a couple of strong performances last year, but was nothing like the horse he has become in 2022, the Champions Sprint being his fifth straight win.

Kinross’s last 12 starts have come between six and seven furlongs, but Beckett is confident Kinross will get a mile at Keeneland and said a trip to the Mile has been in the cards for a couple months.

“I think everything about it will suit him,” Beckett said.

Emily Upjohn back to best in Fillies and Mares

Emily Upjohn got a well-deserved first Group 1 win in style on Saturday, capturing the British Champions Fillies and Mares by three lengths under Frankie Dettori.

The 3-year-old filly fell just short of overcoming a terrible start and a tough trip as favorite in the Oaks this spring, and in her first race after that, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on July 23, she pulled for her head and wouldn’t relax, fading to a vastly disappointing last of six.

Fitted with a hood for the first time in the Fillies and Mares, Emily Upjohn tried in the early stages of the 1 1/2-mile contest to get a little strong, but she eventually settled for Dettori, who kept her about three paths from the fence while racing with cover. Coming off the final bend and into the homestretch, Dettori took Emily Upjohn out one path farther to get a clear run and, with a quarter-mile to run, Emily Upjohn had reached the leaders. Clearly traveling best, she sustained her finish all the way to the wire in a dominant victory.

Longshots Thunder Kiss and Insinuendo finished second and third, respectively, as all the shorter prices ran out of the frame.

Emily Upjohn is by Sea the Stars out of Hidden Brief, by Barathea. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the filly won for the fourth time in six races while notching her first Group 1. Emily Upjohn stays in training as a 4-year-old but won’t come to the Breeders’ Cup, John Gosden said.

*** Favored Trueshan won the Group 2 British Champions Long Distance Cup by a head over Coltrane, who had narrowly beaten Trueshan when they met last month at Doncaster.

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