Matt likes the look of Calandagan in the big race of the day at 16:05.
Matt Chapman’s Saturday ITV racing tips
12:55 Trawlerman
13:30 Words Of Truth
14:05 Lazzat
14:45 Estrange
15:25 Rosallion
16:05 Calandagan
16:40 Greek Order
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It’s Champions Day on ITV Racing with all the races from Ascot shown live. It all starts here with the Group 1 Long Distance Cup over 2m.
Of all the races on Champions Day, this should take the least sorting out. Ascot Gold Cup hero and Yorkshire Cup winner TRAWLERMAN is the best stayer around, and he should win for John & Thady Gosden and William Buick.
I’d expect his stable companion and the wonderful Normandie Stud-owned inmate, Sweet William, to chase him home. St Leger third Stay True has stamina to prove.
Here’s a conditions race for juveniles over 6f. This isn’t that hard, either. WORDS OF TRUTH was superb in the Group 2 Mill Reef at Newbury, and with a rating of 112, he should be too good.
It just shows how quickly juveniles can improve, though, as the Charlie Appleby charge was on a mark of 94 before his last success.
That means others can still improve for this start, but as far as we know, this uncomplicated gelding should have the edge. It’s a clever piece of placing because, of course, there is no Black Type here, and being a gelding, that’s mainly irrelevant for this son of Lope de Vega. It should be another for William Buick.
Back to Group 1 company here with the Champions Sprint over 6f. Now things get interesting.
Many will oppose LAZZAT after two defeats, but I’m in little doubt that he’s the best sprinter around over 6f. He had a shocking draw on a track with a huge bias when fifth at Haydock last time, and his second in the Prix Maurice de Gheest wasn’t bad at all over a bit further.
Go back to Royal Ascot and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Lazzat was much the best, with the likes of Flora of Bermuda, Inisherin, and Run to Freedom well beaten off, and I see no reason why he won’t take all the beating here for James Doyle and Jerome Reynier.
Now the Group 1 Champions Fillies’ and Mares Stakes over 1m4f. Big chance for Kalpana, but away from soft ground, I always want to take her on.
The selection has to be ESTRANGE, who should enjoy a decent pace to run at it here. Like Kalpana, she would prefer softer ground, but she ran perfectly all right on good to firm at York, so I’m not taking it as a massive negative.
David O’Meara’s grey was pulled out of the Arc due to a setback, but she appears to be fine now, and in a light career, she’s always looked a possible star. She stays strong, which is the key for me. Danny Tudhope takes the mount.
The Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 1m. Field of Gold is the possible monster, but I have to take him on after the Sussex shocker and after an 80-day break.
I think the roof will be lifted off Ascot if ROSALLION scores, and I so hope he does for Sean Levey and Richard Hannon. He’s rated 118 here, as he was for his last two defeats, so the official handicapper thinks he’s running consistently for all that he started this term on 122.
It tells us he’s a few pounds below his best but hasn’t totally lost his way, and his third in the Lockinge, second in the Queen Anne, second in the Sussex, and second in the Prix du Moulin mean that he’s right in the mix on all form.
In the Sussex he had to give Field of Gold 8lb on the weight for age scale, for here it’s only 3lb.
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The big one of the day for many in the Group 1 Champion Stakes over 1m2f. For many, CALANDAGAN has been a bad boy of racing, mainly because he once had four runner-up places on the trot in races some thought he should have won.
However, he’s anything but that and has been explosive in two recent wins in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. All his runs have been at 1m4f this term, and he was beaten in this last year by Anmaat. But Calandagan is right at the top of his game and should get a furious gallop to run at, which is just what he enjoys.
I suspect he will come flying through at the end under Michael Barzalona, who has really got to know this horse in his last two wins. Trained by the outstanding Francis-Henri Graffard. I’m more scared of Ombudsman than Delacroix.
Racing ends with this Balmoral Handicap over 1m. I’ll chance GREEK ORDER in this cavalry charge with an inkling that high numbers might be the way to go! I might be wrong.
Greek Order hasn’t quite come up to scratch this season, but returned with a fine fourth in the Royal Hunt Cup when drawn in stall 30. He was on a mark of 95 for that effort and went up to 97, but is back down to 96 here after a flop in the Cambridgeshire, and Jack Callan takes off 5lb.
So, if you think of it as he’s racing off 91, he’s chucked in. Hasn’t won a race since August 2023, so let’s hope this is the moment for ding-dong Michael Bell.
So, best of luck and pray for the Yeeehaaas. You hear me, Paddy?
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