Our Podcast team previewed a fascinating renewal of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on this week's episode.
The supplemented Talk Of New York has been made ante-post favourite while Constitution River was also added to the field.
Were they shrewd moves by Godolphin and Ballydoyle respectively?
Graham Cunningham: “My over-riding feeling here is that the so called middle-ranking horses in this are much closer to the ones at the top of the market than the prices suggest. I think there a few who will run well at prices. TEN BOB TONY is probably at the head of the list. I don’t think he’s quite been given the credit he deserves in the markets for his 50/1 Queen Anne win.
“That was pace assisted, he got a really good gallop to aim at, and he’s not gone backwards since. Fourth at York in the Sky Bet City Of York, and 1400 metres is a bit sharp or him, second in the Moulin, ahead of Gstaad, and behind this up-and-coming French horse Erdenali was a really, really solid performance. We know the straight mile at Ascot suits him and if he gets a strong pace with the likes of Puerto Rico making the gallop, he can run a really bold race.
"He was 10/1 when I last looked and I’d have him several points shorter, myself."
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David Johnson: “I completely agree. A mile at Ascot is just everything TEN BOB TONY wants and I thought he shaped really well at York over seven, he just didn’t quite have the gears to go with some more speedy types on a flat track. I was surprised he ran as well as he did in France last time which is a real positive for his chance on Saturday and the way this race is going to unfold, he’s going to be dropped out and brought with a late run, I can see him hitting the frame.
"You might be better waiting for the day and seeing what each-way terms are on offer as you wouldn’t be surprised if you get four places if not many come out. He’s going to give his running, conditions are ideal for him and, like GC said, he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves.”
Ed Chamberlin: “I am a bit surprised that Talk Of New York is favourite. That wasn’t a great race he won at Newmarket last time, as impressive as he was. It wasn’t deep and tactically a mess too. He’s going to have to be more tractable but I’d love to be a bookmaker in this race. I’d literally just go 4/1 the field, probably each of four or five, and let punters take their pick. There’s so little to choose between this lot.
"Yes, Ten Bob Tony has a chance, even Docklands would have a chance if he’s back at his best returned to Ascot. But the interesting horse is CONSTITUTION RIVER. He adds so much to this. I sense, just sense, because he wouldn’t tell me, that this is a Ryan Moore move. I’ve always sensed he thought Constitution River was a miler not a middle-distance horse and it’s going to be really interesting to see how he gets on.
"But I was one of those people who believed he might be the next coming and might be an absolute rocket, but I think we can safely say he isn’t. He isn’t the superstar everyone thought he might be. He’s still good, very, very good, and let’s see how he gets on but he’d be one of mine topping the market at 4/1 with Talk Of New York and Rayif. I’m fascinated by the race but couldn’t back anything with any confidence whatsoever."
GC: I’m intrigued by Constitution River, Billy. He’s started doing a couple of things wrong hasn’t he? He was a bit more keen than ideal at York and how much can you read into the fact he was hanging quite badly left at Leopardstown when things got tough? In fact, Ryan Moore said afterwards he was hanging left throughout.
Billy Nash: “I don’t know what you could read into it – there are any number of reasons for why he may have done that. The positive I’d take from Leopardstown is he was much more relaxed through the preliminaries than he was at York. They put a red hood on him on the way to the start and it did the trick.
“I think coming back to a mile could be the making of CONSTITUTION RIVER. He’s a French Derby and Eclipse winner so we know he gets ten furlongs really well but he was much too keen at York, far too free, then at Leopardstown he still didn’t run that badly. He emerged as the best of the horses that ran in the Juddmonte International and stop the race at the furlong pole and he’d have won.
“I don’t think the drop to a mile will be any issue at all. He seems to have loads of early speed and gate speed and this race might just work out quite nicely for him. He’s the one I’d like to be on, I’d certainly like to take some of that 4/1 on offer with Chamberlin Bet. I think this is a shrewd move.
“The one I’d be most afraid of is the French horse Rayif. He’s only had two runs at a mile, or close to a mile, and won both, the French 2000 and Jacques Le Marois last time. He’s three, unexposed and from one of, if not the, best yard in Europe at the moment. I’d be afraid of him but feel Constitution River will be very hard to beat."
More on 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
- Champion Stakes Horse-by-Horse Guide and Verdict
- 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
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