Timeform Daily View - Saturday preview and tips

Horse Racing

Fri October 16, 2026 · 10h ago

Timeform provide an overview of three things to note on Saturday.

Longer trip to suit St Leger winner Highwayman

With Trawlerman, who won his second Long Distance Cup last year, now retired and Scandinavia finished for the season after suffering a shock defeat in the Prix du Cadran a couple of weeks ago, two of the big beasts of the staying division are absent from this year’s renewal of the Long Distance Cup (13:30). That still leaves Caballo de Mar, a game winner over a below-par Scandinavia at Longchamp, and Gregory, who ran away with a listed race at Newmarket last month, as a couple of the leading older stayers in the line-up, but it’s Joseph O’Brien’s progressive St Leger winner Highwayman who makes most appeal.

He’ll be bidding to become the first three-year-old to win the Long Distance Cup, the 50/1-shot Tashkhan having gone closest from that age group when runner-up to Trueshan in 2021. Highwayman has improved out of all recognition since having his stamina tested more fully and gained his biggest win to date when completing a hat-trick in the St Leger, a historic victory for his stand-in jockey Saffie Osborne.

Dylan Browne McMonagle, who partnered Highwayman to his maiden success at Killarney in the summer, is fit again now and reunited with a colt who seems sure to appreciate the step up to two miles. A feature of Highwayman’s Doncaster success was the way he powered through the line so with further improvement to come and heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, he can prove too good for his older rivals.

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Queen Elizabeth II Stakes to determine champion sire?

One of the sub-plots to Champions Day is the likelihood that the title of champion sire may well be effectively decided by the end of the day. As things stand, reigning champion Night of Thunder has a lead of around £125,000 over Frankel, but with more than a million pounds of prize money up for grabs in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (15:20) and four runners representing Night of Thunder but none for Frankel, it could be the race that clinches the title again for last year’s top sire.

This year’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes looks an open contest, with the three-year-olds Gstaad and Talk of New York who were placed in the St James’s Palace Stakes behind the now retired Bow Echo, likely to be popular. But the value alternative from the older ranks is one of Night of Thunder’s quartet, More Thunder, for ‘Hot Trainer’ William Haggas.

More Thunder belatedly got off the mark for the year when dropped back to seven furlongs at Doncaster last time for the Park Stakes which he won in typical style, coming from well off the pace to be well on top at the finish and beating Flora of Bermuda by a length and three quarters, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag. A well-run race on a straight track is key to More Thunder and having returned to the form which had seen him finish second in the Lockinge and Queen Anne on his first two starts this year, a big run is expected here.

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Last year’s Champion Stakes first three meet again

The Champion Stakes (16:00) looks as fascinating a race as any on the Champions Day card given that it brings together the first three home from last year when Calandagan got the better of Ombudsman and Almaqam by two and a quarter lengths and a length and three quarters. On that occasion there was little between the first two beforehand, either on Timeform ratings or in the betting, when Ombudsman shaded favouritism at 13/8 with Calandagan on 15/8.

Calandagan went on to win the Japan Cup to round off an outstanding 2025 campaign, and he has added another couple of Group 1 wins this year, the Dubai Sheema Classic and Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. However, his best run this year came in defeat when trying to win the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes for the second year but not quite proving a match for Kalpana who beat him a length and a half. Calandagan has been given a break since and isn’t opposed lightly given his record at Ascot, but as in 2024 when beaten by Anmaat, he may have to settle for second in the Champion Stakes again this year.

Ombudsman, who has the ‘Horses For Courses’ flag, looks to have taken his form up a notch since last year’s Champion Stakes for John & Thady Gosden. He put up a top-class performance when completing a hat-trick in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, winning that race for the second year running while pulling four lengths clear as Minnie Hauk, Daryz and Almaqam completed the frame. While both Almaqam and Constitution River finished in front of Ombudsman who was only fourth when odds on for the Juddmonte International last time, the going was on the soft side at York, and Ombudsman looks well worth another chance under more suitable conditions. He can reverse placings with Calandagan from a year ago, with Bay City Roller completing the shortlist after his fine second to Daryz in the Arc.

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