Cracksman started his 2018 campaign with a bang in April, hit a soft spot over the summer and into early autumn, but went off to stud Saturday at Ascot with another dominant performance in the Group 1 Champion Stakes.
Cracksman, racing over the soft ground he desires, burst to the lead with more than a quarter-mile to run and stretched out to a six-length win over Crystal Ocean. It probably was Cracksman’s best showing since he won the 2017 Champion by seven lengths.
Magical won her first Group 1 race when she surged past the favored Lah Ti Dar and held off Coronet in the QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares on Saturday at Ascot.
Among her opponents were five other horses trained by Aidan O’Brien, but Magical got by without even a little help from her friends.
SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, October 21, 2018)
RACE 1: #4 General Dino, #2 King Of Mongolia, #1 Good Days, #9 Le Panache
RACE 2: #3 Smart Charade, #1 Sunny Power, #5 Empire Star, #10 Golden Four
RACE 3: #10 Romantic Chef, #7 Destin, #3 Complacency, #8 Charizard
RACE 4: #5 Glorious Forever, #4 Insayshable, #2 Ruthven, #6 Stimulation
RACE 5: #1 Happy Sebring, #8 Bellagio, #2 Cordyceps, #6 City Legend
Etario, a game second to Japanese Derby winner Wagnerian in a Grade 2 stakes on Sept.23, will be favored to win his first stakes in Sunday’s Grade 1 Japanese St. Leger for 3-year-olds at Kyoto Racecourse.
Etario has been close to winning stakes this year, and will be around 5-2 in a field of 18 in the $2.37 million Japanese St. Leger, which is run at 1 7/8 miles on turf.
The final declarations Thursday for the Group 1, $1.7 million Champion Stakes were as notable for who wasn’t in the race as who was.
Cracksman takes his spot in the Champion starting gate, but his John Gosden-trained stablemate Roaring Lion runs in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, also part of British Champions Day on Saturday at Ascot.
The versatility of Roaring Lion has led trainer John Gosden to select the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in England on Saturday for the brilliant 3-year-old colt.
The $1,503,125 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is run at a mile, a quarter-mile shorter than Roaring Lion’s last three starts, all wins in Group 1 races against older horses: the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park in July, the Juddmonte International at York in August, and the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September.
HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Thursday, October 18)
Brett Davis
R1: 6-2-4-1
R2: 9-5-7-10
R3: 6-4-1-5
R4: 2-8-9-1
R5: 11-4-9-3
R6: 7-1-11-8
R7: 12-1-6-4
R8: 8-9-4-12
Best Bet – R6: #7 Super Wise
Longshot – R5: #11 Lucky Shiny Day
Best Play – R6: Trio 7/ 1,4,8,11
Andrew Le Jeune
R1: 4-6-2-1
R2: 10-5-7-1
R3: 2-5-9-4
R4: 8-2-3-7
R5: 4-11-9-3
R6: 4-5-1-11
R7: 1-12-3-4
Youngstar and Kings Will Dream chased Australian Horse of the Year Winx when second and third in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 6.
Winx, who has won an astonishing 28 consecutive races, is a massive favorite to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive running of the Group 1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley Racecourse on Oct. 27.
The improving 3-year-old Red Warrior is expected to start favored in Thursday’s $176,103 Roselle Handicap at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong.
Judging from his race record in England last winter, and a victory in his last start at Happy Valley, Red Warrior could be a horse to follow in coming months in Hong Kong.
