Ascot on Saturday

This column is off to Baden-Baden for the weekend and will be back on Tuesday. However we will first take a quick look at tomorrow´s big card at Ascot, British Champions Day. This is a wonderful card, although it must be said that it still does not compare to Longchamp´ s Arc weekend. However one can certainly say that, even with only 6 runners, the Champion Stakes at 17.05 CET is a better race than the Arc - featuring the two best (on oficial ratings) horses on the world - Frankel (Sir Henry Cecil/ Tom Queally) and Cirrus des Aigles (Corinne Barbe-Balande/ Olivier Peslier), and two other stars in Nathaniel (John Gosden/ William Buick) and our own Derby winner Pastorius (Mario Hofer/ Frankie Dettori). Frankel is still unbeaten after 13 starts and it is expected (although not yet officially confirmed) that he will be retired after this race. He has the highest rating of any horse in recent history, but faces his toughest task now - not only because of the strength of the oppos ition, but also because he will be running on ground much softer than anything he has encountered so far - ground that will certainly suit the other runners. His team seems confident and we hope he wins, but we also hope that Pastorius finishes in tjhe first four to justify his connections´ brave decision to run here.

There is also a German runner in the main supporting feature, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile at 16.30 - Indomito (Andreas Wöhler/ Tom Queally). Clear favoiurite here is Excelebration (Aidan and Joseph O´Brien), winner of the German 2,000 Guineas last year who has gone from strength to strength since. He has been breaten 5 times by Frankel, biut with the latter now running over the longer trip of 1p0 furlongs, the way is clear for him to score here. Indomito, who will probably not be so happy on the ground, will do well to be placed in a very strong field.