Aidan O’Brien will look to Constitution River to return to winning form at British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday, October 17, as the Ballydoyle trainer prepares an eight-strong team for one of the biggest meetings of the British Flat racing season. Andrew Balding will also arrive with plenty at stake, with Kalpana bidding for a third consecutive victory in the Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes as the two trainers continue their battle for the British trainers’ championship.
Constitution River will line up in the Group 1 Qatar Racing Champion Stakes over a mile and a quarter after O’Brien decided against dropping the colt back to a mile for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. The three-year-old will aim to rediscover the form that brought him three successive victories earlier in the season, including impressive wins in the Prix du Jockey Club and Eclipse Stakes.
The Wootton Bassett colt will enter the race following third-place finishes in the Juddmonte International at York and the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown. Although those results will raise questions about his recent form, O’Brien will remain hopeful that a return to the mile-and-a-quarter distance will help him produce a stronger finish.
Speaking during a media call organised by Ascot Racecourse, O’Brien explained that Constitution River had been caught up in strongly run races at York and Leopardstown. He suggested that the pace and the health of horses in his stable could have contributed to the colt tiring late in both contests.
The trainer will therefore give Constitution River another opportunity over a distance at which he has already shown his quality. O’Brien will hope the change in circumstances will allow the colt to show more of the ability that marked his successful first half of the campaign.
British Champions Day: O’Brien Divides His Leading Chances
O’Brien’s decision to keep Constitution River over a mile and a quarter will also shape his wider plans for the meeting. Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Gstaad will instead spearhead the stable’s challenge in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile.
Gstaad will head to Ascot after finishing third in the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp. O’Brien will be looking for a better performance from the colt, while the return to a course where he won the Coventry Stakes last year will offer a familiar setting for the mile contest.
The trainer will also rely on Minnie Hauk in the Fillies & Mares Stakes and Queenstown in the Group 1 Long Distance Cup. Minnie Hauk will contest the mile-and-a-half race after a fifth-place finish in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, where she ran despite having dealt with problems caused by corns before the race.
O’Brien will expect her to be more comfortable with a steady, evenly run contest at Ascot. Queenstown, meanwhile, will tackle two miles in the Long Distance Cup, a distance his trainer believes will suit his progressive staying ability.
Amelia Earhart will also take her chance over two miles. Her staying effort over a mile and six furlongs in France will offer encouragement, while her brother Cleveland’s effectiveness over the longer distance will provide another reason for optimism.
Confucius will represent O’Brien in the Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes. The trainer will remove the blinkers that failed to suit the youngster on his previous start and will hope a straightforward ride will allow him to show the ability he has demonstrated at home.
Kalpana Targets a Third Straight Ascot Victory
While O’Brien will have several leading contenders across the card, Kalpana will carry much of the attention for Balding in the Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes. The five-year-old will attempt to win the 12-furlong Group 1 contest for the third consecutive year, a feat that would place her among the most successful horses in the meeting’s history.
Kalpana will return to Ascot after finishing fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Her latest run will give Balding reason to believe she can remain competitive, particularly as she finished ahead of several high-class rivals in France. The trainer will also draw confidence from her preparation, with the mare reportedly eating well and working satisfactorily after her return.
Balding will have additional support from See The Fire in the same race as he pursues his first British trainers’ championship. His challenge will be particularly significant because the title contest will continue until the end of December, with the results at Ascot expected to play an important part in the standings.
Balding will enter the meeting with a lead of less than £100,000 over O’Brien. Both trainers will be approaching the £9 million mark in prize money, leaving the outcome of the meeting potentially important to the wider championship battle.
Balding has described Kalpana as one of his favourite horses to train and will be hoping she can deliver another major performance at a course where she has already enjoyed considerable success. He will also recognise the challenge posed by O’Brien’s larger team and the quality of the Ballydoyle runners.
Balding Looks for More From His Ascot Team
Beyond Kalpana and See The Fire, Balding will rely on Marvelman in the Qatar Racing British Champions Sprint Stakes and Mount Atlas in the Long Distance Cup.
Marvelman will arrive after a disappointing season compared with the promise he showed the previous autumn. Balding will hope the sprinter can rediscover his ability, while any further rain before racing could improve his prospects.
Mount Atlas will take his place in the two-mile contest after winning a Group 3 race during the season and running well in the Lonsdale Cup. Balding will believe Ascot could suit him better than York, although he will approach the race realistically and acknowledge the strength of the opposition.
The trainer’s hopes of securing the championship will therefore depend on his small group of runners delivering strong performances against O’Brien’s wider challenge. Kalpana will remain his leading opportunity to make a decisive impact on the day.
O’Brien, meanwhile, will maintain that the championship will not dictate his running plans. He will continue to put the welfare and preparation of his horses first, with the Futurity Trophy expected to be among his remaining targets after the meeting.
Good Ground Expected for British Champions Day
The conditions at Ascot will provide a further talking point ahead of Saturday’s meeting. Chris Stickels, Head of Racing and Clerk of the Course at Ascot Racecourse, reported around 3.5mm of rain on Friday, which brought the going back to good across the track.
With the rain expected to clear and dry weather forecast for the remainder of the period, Stickels anticipated that conditions would remain broadly similar when racing began. The course will therefore be expected to provide a sound surface for the seven-race programme.
British Champions Day will feature five Group 1 races alongside the Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes and the Balmoral Handicap. The meeting will bring the British Flat season towards its conclusion, with Constitution River’s comeback bid, Kalpana’s pursuit of a historic third consecutive win and the trainers’ championship battle among the main stories to follow.
Constitution River will aim to bounce back in the Champion Stakes as Aidan O’Brien brings a strong team to Ascot. Kalpana will seek a third consecutive Fillies & Mares Stakes victory for Andrew Balding, whose runners will also play a key role in the British trainers’ championship contest.
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