Ascot

Ascot Racecourse announced total prize money will be a record £17 million across 25 racedays in 2023, an increase of £1.33 million (8.5%) from 2022. The overall figure excludes the industry-owned QIPCO British Champions Day. Prize money for Royal Ascot 2023 will also be a record £9.52 million, up from £8.65 million (10%). All Group 1 races will be run for a minimum of £600,000 for the first time with increases to the King's Stand S., St James's Palace S., Gold Cup, Coronation S. and Commonwealth Cup (all £500,000 in...

Wesley Ward would be the first to admit that he has a soft spot for his globe-trotting Breeders' Cup contender Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB} - Janina {GB}, by Namid {GB}). "It's hard not to like a filly that has accomplished what she has," he said with a smile. "Just from being around her, you know how special she is." For over two years, Campanelle has been a consistent presence in Ward's converted tobacco barn adjacent to the Keeneland grounds. The Stonestreet Stables representative has thrived on racing's biggest stages throughout...

William Haggas is looking to the future after Baaeed's shock swansong defeat in the Qipco Champion S. at Ascot on Saturday by revealing the six-time Group 1-winning superstar's younger brother is set to make his debut soon.  Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {GB}) lost his unbeaten record on his 11th and likely final start on Champions Day when finishing fourth, beaten a little under two lengths, behind Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}). That was despite being sent off as a prohibitively short-priced favourite at odds of 1-4. Haggas was...

Ascot Racecourse announced on Monday that Chief Executive, Vivien Currie, stood down from her position in order to return to Scotland for family reasons.   Sir Francis Brooke, chairman at Ascot, said, "We understand Vivien's decision and she leaves with our best wishes for the future." Ascot's Managing Director, Alastair Warwick, has been appointed Acting Chief Executive. 

One of last term's leading juveniles, Teme Valley and Ballylinch Stud's Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) took until Saturday to put it all together again as a 3-year-old and chose the big stage to do it on in Ascot's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. He has now punched his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland in November, if connections wish to travel. Anchored in rear early by Tom Marquand after a tardy break, the 33-1 shot who had enjoyed a confidence-boosting success in Sandown's Listed Fortune...

Nursed back from a deflating heavy defeat in the King George by John and Thady Gosden, TDN Rising Star Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) returned to Ascot's same mile and a half with a flourish to capture Saturday's G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and complete a Frankie Dettori double on QIPCO British Champions Day. Keen initially as she had been last time, the newly-hooded bay was restrained to race halfway down the field trapped wide throughout the early stages. Travelling strongly on the turn into...

Just 11 years old in its reconstructed state, Ascot's QIPCO British Champions Day is not yet the supermassive black hole it longs to be, but its gravitational waves are enough to draw in a sufficient quantity of racing's brightest year upon year to justify its title. Saturday's binary stars are the turf overlord Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and the miling dame Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), whose orbits have been steadily coming closer into view over the past weeks. In the case of the former, this final act of...

Shadwell's Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will conclude his racing career against eight rivals in Saturday's £1.3-million QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot, with the unbeaten luminary drawn in stall one as the final fields were confirmed on Thursday morning. Like the 2016 hero Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), the William Haggas flagbearer is on the inside in a contest that should be staged on ground no worse than soft and very likely good-to-soft. Last year's Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB})...

Jadoomi (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) has been supplemented for £70,000 to Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on QIPCO Champions Day at Ascot. The gelding is undefeated in three starts this season, including the G2 Boomerang S. at Leopardstown on Sept. 10. Likely favorite for the £1.1-million test is MG1SW Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), victorious most recently in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville in August. Also among possible runners for this weekend's feature are: French Classic winner Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi...

Multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) is pleasing trainer Richard Fahey in advance of a start in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint at Ascot on Oct. 15. The Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum runner won both the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S. at two, and also prevailed in the G3 Greenham S. on his 3-year-old bow. After failing to stay in the G1 2000 Guineas, the colt bounced back to take the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. He was seventh in his...

The recently retired crack stayer Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will be paraded at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day on Oct. 15. Bred and raced by Bjorn Nielsen, the charismatic chestnut retired with the most QIPCO British Champions Series wins in history with 16. Trained throughout his career by John and Thady Gosden, Stradivarius will be joined by fellow retired racehorses Side Glance (GB) (Passing Glance {GB}) and Trip To Paris (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}). Anna Kerr, Chief Executive of the National Stud, said, "We are delighted to...

Stradivarius, the three-time Gold Cup winner and the undisputed champion stayer of his generation, has been retired to stud.  Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) won three Yorkshire Cups and two Doncaster Cups but will be best remembered for those epic Gold Cup triumphs at Ascot. Owned by Bjorn Nielsen, who told TDN Europe about his intention to support the popular chestnut at stud upon his retirement, Stradivarius will join the roster at the National Stud.  The 8-year-old bows out from the game as...