Queen Elizabeth II S.

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...

Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) will not travel to Australia for next year's Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival after receiving treatment for a blood clot in a hock. Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's 7-year-old gelding recently spent two weeks in an equine hospital after the clot became infected. He is now back at trainer William Haggas's Newmarket yard and while expected to race next season, he will not be ready for Sydney in March and April, where his targets would have included an attempt at a third straight G1 Queen Elizabeth II S.,...

If confirmation was needed that Ascot's QIPCO British Champions Day is what it says it is, a glance at the most recently-published Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings reveals all. Of the 11 Europeans occupying the top 20 in the list, five are in action on Saturday with four of the remaining either injured or retired at this point. Heading the A-list quintet at present are the inseparable G1 QIPCO Champion S.-bound Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), with the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. favourite Palace...

G1 Coronation S. and G1 Sussex S. winner Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) will revert to the mile distance over which she won those two features for the Oct. 16 G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. after beating just one home in Wednesday's G1 Juddmonte International over a mile and a quarter. The 3-year-old filly, who also won last year's G1 Cheveley Park S., was racing beyond a mile for the first time. "Going up to a mile and a quarter was always going to be a punt," said trainer...

Trainer John Gosden has said that Qipco British Champions Day, where Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) has entries in the G1 Champion S. and G1 Queen Elizabeth II S., is likely to be the 4-year-old's swansong before he goes off to stud. Palace Pier, last year's champion 3-year-old off wins in the G1 St James's Palace S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois, is a perfect four-for-four in 2021. Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum's bay won the G2 bet365 Mile, G1 Lockinge S. and G1 Queen Anne S. before defending his...

G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. winner and G1 2000 Guineas second King Of Change (GB) (Farhh {GB}) has had his first mares scanned in foal. They include Table Forty Six (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}), a seven-time winner who is from the immediate family of G1 Epsom Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks third Mezzogiorno (Unfuwain) and Group 2 winners Monturani (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) and Anda Muchacho (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}); and Ramamara (Ire) (Trans Island {GB}), a winning half-sister to the listed-placed Trinity (Ire) (College Chapel {GB}) and a daughter...

Group 1-winning miler King Of Change (GB) (Farhh {GB}-Salacia {Ire}, by Echo of Light {GB}) has been retired from racing and will stand in 2021 at Derrinstown Stud for a fee of €7,000. Bred by Rabbah Bloodstock and campaigned by owner Ali Abdulla Saeed with trainer Richard Hannon, King Of Change was placed in each of his two starts at two before breaking his maiden on seasonal debut in April of his 3-year-old campaign. He outran odds of 66-1 to finish second to Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in...