A review of the rest of QIPCO British Champions Day at ascot as Mission Central won the inaugural Two-Year-old Conditions Race for Aidan O'Brien and Christophe Soumillon.
Central attraction in new juvenile race
Mission Central warmed up for a trip to the Breeders’ Cup in perfect fashion when running out the inaugural winner of the Qipco British Champions Day Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes.
Having seen his hat-trick bid fall short in the Group Two Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster last month the son of Wootton Bassett made amends returned to six furlongs with victory in the first edition of the £250,000 contest.
Always travelling well in the hands of Christophe Soumillon, the 5/1 chance breezed to the front of the field to join the prominently ridden Division inside the final two furlongs before quickly opening up into a lead he would hold all the way to the line.
Although Ardisia, winner of the Listed William Hill Two Year Old Trophy at Redcar, last time out made late headway on what was his 11th start of the campaign, he could not quite reel in Mission Central, who held on to score by half a length.
O’Brien said: “He is a horse with a lot of ability. The plan was to come here on the way to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.
"He ran at Doncaster the last day and I think the ground was a bit slow for him. He loved that nice ground today. I’m delighted with him.
“He is quick and the first day he ran we thought six furlongs was far enough for him.
"I think he will probably love going around the bend at Del Mar. He is a horse with a lot of ability.
“He is fast, but you never know with a gelding he could get further, and maybe he will. He is happier going racing than being at home.”
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As for the runner up, his rider, Tom Marquand was delighted with his effort in defeat.
Marquand said: “The winner just nicked that couple of lengths while we were trying to get going.
“He is tough, hardy and versatile with the ground. That was a real good effort to run the winner as close as he did.”
Finishing a further length adrift back in third was 11-10 favourite Words Of Truth.
And following the race his trainer, Charlie Appleby, suggested that he will now work back from next year’s Jersey Stakes at the Royal meeting with the Lope de Vega gelding.
Appleby said: “Will (Buick) said the Mill Reef probably just left its mark in that ground. He has been on the go since early doors so we will give him a rest and put him away.
“I think we will work back from the Jersey. I think he will stay here for the winter as he will be happy here.
“We will possibly give him a run in the Pavillion Stakes here or there is that conditions race at Newmarket over seven furlongs which we could look at.”
Balmoral report
William Haggas ended what he described had been a ‘punishing afternoon and morning’ in perfect fashion after Crown Of Oaks bounced back to winning ways with a front-running victory in the Balmoral Handicap.
After running out an impressive winner of a mile and a quarter handicap at the track last month the gelded son of Wootton Bassett-arrived on the back of a defeat having failed to back that success up over the same trip a week later at the Curragh.
With his stamina for longer proven jockey Tom Marquand elected to keep things simple aboard the 5-1 chance on his return to a mile after bouncing him out into the lead soon after exiting the stalls.
And despite having a host of challengers poised in behind no one could manage to find a way past the Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy-owned gelding, who bravely hung on to victory by a neck from Holloway Boy and Ebt’s Guard, who dead-heated for second.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsHaggas said: “You can explain something to me as I’m a bit lost. In the mile race there were fourteen runners the winner was 100/1 and drawn in one and he goes up the far rail.
“So we thought, drawn in twenty three, we have no chance if we go over the far side, so we will just go straight and they all follow. Work that one out, but thank God it worked it.
“It has been a punishing afternoon, and morning in Australia. We were coming back in trip today, but it was over a stiff mile and we made a bit of use of him. He obviously enjoyed that and he is pretty versatile.
“It was trainer error to go to Ireland, but he has comeback well. He went up fifteen pounds and he was running with a six pounds penalty, so you don’t need to be a professor in maths that we should have had a chance at the Curragh, but we didn’t.
“He has done well and he is obviously a talented horse. You hope he is better than handicap, because if he isn’t he is buggered! He will probably be rated one hundred five now I’d say.”
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