Qipco Champions Day: John Hunt’s best bets at Ascot’s showpiece meeting on Saturday! | Racing News

Sky Sports Racing presenter John Hunt is back with six selections across Saturday’s Qipco Champions Day card, all live on Sky Sports Racing…

We say goodbye to Frankie Dettori as he sets sail for the USA and theoretically, his best chance will be Kinross in the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes (1.50).

However, I’m not quite so sure Kinross is quite the force he was last year, and I want to take him on with MILL STREAM who will love the ground and may not yet have peaked as a sprinter.

Marco Ghiani has guided Mill Stream to his best days so far, both at Deauville this season, winning at Listed level before powering to an impressive victory in the Group 3 Prix De Meautry where the ground was soft and he comprehensively beat Abernant winner Garrus and Batwan [who subsequently ran very well in the Prix de l’Abbaye].

Mill Stream put them away in a couple of strides there and is well worth another crack at the highest level with conditions to suit. While it’s tough on Marco, it can only be positive that William Buick takes over for this assignment.

Jane Chapple-Hyam’s three-year-old last ran in the Haydock Park Sprint and on the face of it, he was disappointing on Merseyside, but the ground was quicker than ideal there and the return to a more testing surface should see him in his element.

Donjuan Triumphant and Sands Of Mali both won this in recent years and last year’s runner-up [and contender again this year] Run To Freedom was sent off at a massive 150-1. Shocks can happen here quite easily so I cannot let SAINT LAWRENCE go off unbacked at what will be huge odds.

The evidence for him going on deep ground is limited but pretty positive. As a youngster, he ran well on heavy ground in the Horris Hill Stakes and then, much more recently, he ran a terrific race in the Prix Maurice De Gheest.

Held up in last place there, he was last off the bridle and could well have won if he could have made his challenge closer to the stands rail. His overall record at Ascot is very persuasive too. Not only did he win the Wokingham in tremendous style [he had only three behind him two out] he has also finished second in the Pavilion Stakes and ran brilliantly when sixth in the King’s Stand Stakes in 2022.

JACKIE OH is a must bet for me in the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (2.25) on her first attempt at a mile and a half.

Visually, she has looked like she would benefit from 12 furlongs on a couple of occassions but especially so last time out at ParisLongchamp where she went toe to toe with the brilliant racemare Blue Rose Cen in the Prix de l’Opera over 10 furlongs.

She refused to wilt in Paris on decent ground but it’s worth remembering she won her maiden on heavy going at Naas looking all over a middle-distance horse. She is by Galileo out of Jacqueline Quest, the first past the post in the 1000 Guineas of 2010.

That makes Jackie Oh a full sister to the highly talented Breeders’ Cup winner Line Of Duty and perhaps more importantly a Dubawi half-sister to thorough stayer Secret State who won major mile-and-a-half handicaps last year for Godolphin at both Royal Ascot and Goodwood.

Jackie Oh will be having her eighth run of the year on Saturday but there is compelling evidence that she is getting better and better with every run.

With the ground likely to be really deep for the opening Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup (1.15), I’m going to give SWEET WILLIAM the vote as I really feel the turning track will suit him.

He was, of course heavily involved in that compelling Doncaster Cup where Trueshan and Hollie Doyle stole the show, but because of his antics [dashing clear and then heading on his own down the middle of the track] I feel that Sweet William wasn’t able to quite show his best.

For me, he is a horse who will prove best suited to exaggerated waiting tactics, and he was simply left in front [of his group] too far out at Doncaster. It was still a great run and I’m really encouraged that Gosden wants to give it another go. Remember at Goodwood, he trotted up in the Summer Handicap on some of the worst ground we saw all year on the flat. He should love conditions and can land a surprise victory.

I’d love to see BIG ROCK land a hugely deserved major success in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (3.05) and I’ll be having a small bet on him to do so.

He enjoyed an amazing spring when the highlight was slamming Horizon Dore [on heavy ground] before running so brilliantly behind Ace Impact in the Prix du Jockey Club.

There is a real possibility that this top-class three-year-old has now found his form levelling off but I’m backing him to reverse his bouts of ‘seconditis’ this time around.

There has been plenty of talk about a possible change of tactics with him on Saturday, but I would prefer to see him trying to dominate his field from the start, to try and take some of these top milers out of their comfort zone.

Paddington will be doing staggeringly well to remain at full steam for yet another top race while I think this will be one race too many for the brilliant Nashwa.

I fancy a bold showing as well from MY PROSPERO in the Qipco Champion Stakes (3.45) who has clearly been trained for the race specifically after a fabulous effort 12 months ago behind Bay Bridge, narrowly beaten into third place.

This will be his fourth appearance at Ascot and as well as last year’s run, it’s worth remembering that he could easily have won the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes in 2022, dramatically losing out in a three-way photo.

His prep race victory at Goodwood told us very little form-wise but did at least offer strong hope that he would handle softer ground than he usually encounters.

John’s Best Bets at Ascot

1.15 ASCOT, SATURDAY – QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS LONG DISTANCE CUP – SWEET WILLIAM

1.50 ASCOT, SATURDAY – QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS SPRINT STAKES – MILL STREAM & SAINT LAWRENCE

2.25 ASCOT, SATURDAY – QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS FILLIES & MARES STAKES – JACKIE OH

3.05 ASCOT, SATURDAY – QUEEN ELIZABETH II STAKES (SPONSORED BY QIPCO) – BIG ROCK

3.45 ASCOT, SATURDAY – QIPCO CHAMPION STAKES – MY PROSPERO