Ryan Moore retains his faith in Constitution River ahead of his appearance at Ascot this weekend.
Aidan O’Brien said the jockey felt the colt was potentially the best he’s ridden after his Coral-Eclipse win at Sandown in July but he has failed to shine in two subsequent starts.
A well-beaten third in the Juddmonte International at York, he was sent off the 11/8 favourite for the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown last month but filled the same spot behind Hotazhell and Almaqam.
He holds entries in both the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes on Saturday but having been supplemented for the former, is expected to drop back to a mile, a distance over which he’s yet to race.
“He has two options. He could run in the Champion Stakes or in the mile race. He was obviously very good at the start of the year, winning the Dee Stakes, French Derby and then the Eclipse. The Juddmonte didn’t work out for him,” Moore told World Pool.
“In the Irish Champion he felt like he was going to win at the two and he hung to his left and didn’t really feel comfortable. There’s a chance he may be a miler, and he could go into the mile race. I still think he’s a really high class horse and I’m looking forward to getting another go on him.”
British Champions Day 2026
- David Ord on why William Haggas is backing the underdog
- Ben Linfoot on the big questions heading into Ascot
- Andrew Asquith tackles Champions Day in Weekend View
- Matt Brocklebank reveals his Champions Day shortlist
- William Haggas on his British Champions Day team
- Andrew Balding on his British Champions Day team
- Richard Brown on Wathnan's Ascot team
- Nemone Routh on the Aga Khan Stud's Ascot team
- Tom Fanshawe on Kind Of Blue's Champion Sprint claims
- Trainers' title: Andrew Balding v Aidan O'Brien
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