Morning folks, from a reasonably bright and dry London. I’ll keep this brief as I’m a bit worse for wear and have to get the glad rags on to head to out to Ascot in an hour or so. Hope all is well with you. Luckily I wrote the majority of this last night so you can be sure that the research was done!

It has rained a lot in the south of England this week and conditions will be extremely testing at Ascot today.

Let’s fly through the card, Daddy needs new shoes!

13:45 Qipco British Champion Long Distance Cup: Having watched the majority of Newmarket yesterday, and doing my brains I might add, I am absolutely quaking in my boots to back a fav. I’m a firm Leading Light fan, and was lucky enough to be on him when he won the Gold Cup here back in June.  Forgotten Rules is interesting. He beat a decent mare in Shu Lewis in his bumper debut and won well at Galway under flat rules in August. He stays well and handles a cut. However tomorrow may be too much for him. I’ve gone slightly AWOL and have backed Whiplash Willie each way. He’s by the little known stallion Phoenix Reach but he handles a cut well and definitely has a frame chance at 9’s.

14:20 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes: I’ve had a little Ante Post nibble here. Cheeky, I know. If there was ever a horse born that loves the mud ‘twas Maarek. He is as lazy as sin away from the gates and if you watch his Abbaye win in 2013 Jamie Spencer pretty much rides him from pillar to post. If he can get away, any way well at all, he surely has a chance. At a big each way price I’d give Eton Forever a frame squeak too.

14:55 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes: Not exactly a vintage group 1, but we play what we’re dealt I suppose. I won’t be getting involved in a serious way, for sure, but I do like Ralph Beckett’s Cubanita. She’s a real back end type and handles heavy ground well enough to warrant support at 6/1.

15:30 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Sponsored By Qipco: I was all over Olympic Glory before hand, and I’m very disappointed to see that he doesn’t go here. Night of Thunder and Charm Spirit are obviously the well backed first and second favourites, with Freddy Head’s horse reversing the guineas form in France last time. At 3/1 and 100/30 I’m not really that interested to be honest. In the interest of value, a horse that is misrepresented by the market is Tullius, who should really like conditions and most certainly has an each way shout at 8’s.

16:05 Qipco Champion Stakes: Cirrus des Aigles is a legend of the turf, without a shadow of a doubt. The racing romantic within me really does hope that he romps home and comes back into the winners enclosure to rapturous applause. Free Eagle at Leopardstown the last day was probably the best equine performance I’ve seen in the flesh in Ireland, in my race going lifetime. Treve’s two Arcs were the best I’ve seen anywhere. The atmosphere after the Leopardstown race was one of awe and palpable anticipation for what lay in store for this horse. I was in two minds about backing him for this as the rain fell pretty much every night here in London for the last number of days, but this morning for whatever reason I’m feeling brave. He does need to come on a bit but if you take into account that his last run was his 3 year old debut and only the 3rd run of his life, surely he has to improve. You can’t disregard the others but if he runs I’m backing the Weld horse.

16:45 Balmoral Handicap: Two against the field here both with decent draws and should have each way claims. Russian Realm for Stoute, Moore and Chevely Park and Piri Wango for Ger Lyons with the young Madden claiming a valuable 7 lbs.

Sin é, folks.

Enjoy the racing and hopefully there’s a winner in there somewhere!

Slán tamaillín,

T