Mount Atlas delivered a major result for trainer Andrew Balding by winning the Group 1 Qatar Racing British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot, strengthening Balding’s position in the trainers’ championship on British Champions Day.
Ridden by PJ McDonald, the five-year-old produced a well-timed finishing effort to defeat Queenstown by three-quarters of a length. Highwayman, the St Leger winner, finished third, a further three-quarters of a length behind the runner-up. The race attracted 10 runners.
Mount Atlas, representing Kingsclere Racing Club, entered the contest after making steady progress over staying distances during the season. Despite the step up to two miles, he demonstrated his ability to compete at the highest level with a strong late challenge.
Queenstown set the pace and remained competitive into the closing stages. However, Mount Atlas found room in the final furlong and responded when McDonald asked him to accelerate. The winning jockey timed his challenge carefully, allowing the horse to deliver his effort without being committed too early.
The victory marked Balding’s fourth Qatar Racing British Champions Day winner, while McDonald secured his first success at the meeting. The result also provided a significant moment for the Kingsclere stable, with Mount Atlas having contributed consistently throughout the season.
Mount Atlas Secures British Champions Long Distance Cup Victory
Balding praised McDonald’s handling of the race, highlighting the importance of waiting for the right opportunity before delivering the horse’s challenge.
PJ McDonald gave Mount Atlas an outstanding ride, Balding said, explaining that the horse needed to be delivered late rather than sent to the front too soon. The trainer added that the timing of the move had worked perfectly.
Balding also acknowledged the horse’s talent and explained that the two-mile distance had represented a calculated risk. Mount Atlas had shown a preference for Ascot, and his familiarity with the course helped complete a successful performance.
The trainer expressed particular satisfaction with the result because Mount Atlas had been bred by his mother. He also praised the horse’s consistency throughout the campaign and credited the stable team for its contribution to the victory.
McDonald described the Group 1 success as a significant achievement and praised the confidence Balding and his wife, Anna Lisa, had placed in him. He also highlighted the support he had received from the team at Park House.
The jockey explained that the race had developed favourably in the closing stages. Mount Atlas found the necessary gap at the right moment and responded strongly when asked to produce his finishing effort.
McDonald added that winning a Group 1 contest on Champions Day was a fitting way to repay the confidence shown in him by the stable.
Queenstown Holds Second as Highwayman Finishes Third
Queenstown, trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, finished second after a determined performance at the head of the field. The six-year-old maintained his challenge but could not match Mount Atlas once the winner found clear running.
Highwayman, trained by Joseph O’Brien and partnered by Dylan Browne McMonagle, completed the first three. The three-year-old had entered the race following his St Leger success but finished three-quarters of a length behind Queenstown.
Joseph O’Brien considered Highwayman’s performance encouraging despite the defeat, noting that the horse had received a good passage through the field. He also suggested that the long season had taken its toll and expressed optimism about the horse’s prospects for the following year.
Mount Atlas’s success provided Balding with another major victory on British Champions Day and confirmed the five-year-old’s progress over staying distances. McDonald’s patient ride proved decisive, as the winner secured the Group 1 prize with a late move in the final furlong.
Mount Atlas won the British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot for Andrew Balding and PJ McDonald, beating Queenstown by three-quarters of a length, with Highwayman finishing third.
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