SATURDAY, 17 OCTOBER 2020 OCTOBER SURPRISE MARCHES ON CHAMPIONS AT By Chris McGrath A DISTANCE NEWMARKET, UK--So here we are, at the furlong pole, and somehow still hard on the bridle. With just Book 4 to go, the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues to confound the gloom generated this year as the bloodstock industry--along with the wider economy--reeled under the nightmarish burden of a pandemic. On Friday, even the weaker second session of Book 3 sailed serenely clear of the riptide. Turnover of 2,274,500gns soared past the equivalent day last year, up a giddy 27% from 1,796,400gns. That yielded an average of 10,245gns, up from 9,212gns; while the median inched forward to 7,000gns from 6,500gns. The clearance rate, which has been understandably brisk even at unhappier auctions, raced to 83% from 73% in 2019. Aggregate business also held strong across the two days. Transactions totalling 7,367,200gns represented a 5% advance on 7,007,900gns last year; with the average basically static at Stradivarius is a star attraction on Champions Day | Scoop Dyga 16,051gns (compared with 16,147gns) and the median solid at By Tom Frary 11,000gns (from 10,000gns). Cont. p7 Still in its infancy but already firmly established as a staple of racing=s culinary experience, Ascot=s Qipco British Champions Day is back on Saturday with the first of possibly several editions set in the COVID-19 era. No crowds, none of the hoopla that characteristically greets the collection of luminaries in all categories, no atmosphere other than that created by the races themselves. Back in June, the Royal meeting was the first of the country=s major festivals to take place in the current void and it came through thanks largely to an epic performance by Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Gold Cup. It is therefore a relief that he belongs to one of the most sporting of owners with a genuine sense of the importance of tradition. Thankfully, Bjorn Nielsen has opted to allow his radiant staying star the chance to kick off the action in the opening G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup. Successful in 2018 before being inched out by Kew Gardens (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in a The session-topping Authorized colt | Tattersalls memorable encounter 12 months ago, the undeniably loveable chestnut slingshots from his shot at history in the G1 Qatar Prix de l=Arc de Triomphe 13 days ago. Seventh when bogged down IN TDN AMERICA TODAY in an unsuitably-run affair at ParisLongchamp, he is back in his THIS SIDE UP: FEE CUTS CAN REBOOT THE SYSTEM counting house with Moyglare Stud=s dual G1 Irish St Leger Chris McGrath weighs in as a spate of farms announce reduced heroine Search For a Song (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) the freshest stud fees for 2021. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN challenge on his continuing odyssey. Cont. p2 America. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 15 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 17 OCTOBER 2020 Champions Day Preview cont. from p1 closing movement in the feature G1 QIPCO Champion S. If there Despite Stradivarius=s natural ebullience ensuring he is in the is one horse in action on the card who has the look of prodigy, it line-up, John Gosden does have a worry about the conditions. is Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum=s Palace Pier AThe ground at Royal Ascot was what I would call >wet soft= and who could bear reasonable comparison with the likes of former this is going to be more >holding soft=. It has been very wet and QEII kingpins Warning (GB), Dubai Millennium (GB) or even unless we get some rain Frankel (GB) if he comes through overnight, it will be riding holding this with flying colours. Warning and a little bit sticky,@ he said. AI was sensational in 1988, when think the ground will worry a lot the race was the feature of the of people because most horses AFestival of British Racing@ which like to get through it and they like served as one of the precursors of it loose wet, rather than holding. this great meeting. There are Having spoken at length with Mr similarities between Palace Pier Nielsen, the plan next year is to and that former Juddmonte go for a fourth Gold Cup and as celebrity, with the duo arguably he won=t be running until May, denied 2000 Guineas glory only here we are at the end of the by dint of the fact that neither season and we thought we would were ready for that Classic at that have a go at the Champions Day Stradivarius=s stablemate Palace Pier winning the stage of their careers. The current race.@ Prix Jacques le Marois | Scoop Dyga leader of the division holds an If Stradivarius is the opening of upper hand in the fact that he has the concerto, then it is up to his unbeaten stablemate Palace yet to taste defeat and his electric display when overturning Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) to supply the cadenza in the G1 Queen Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) over the turning mile here in the Elizabeth II S. before Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) provides the June 20 G1 St James=s Palace S. stays in the mind=s eye. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 15 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 17 OCTOBER 2020 Champions Day Preview cont. That was backed up by a similarly impressive traversing of Deauville=s straight mile when taking the Aug. 16 G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and he is beginning to wear the air of invulnerability. AHe would have been a Guineas horse, but we weren=t able to have a prep in the Greenham so I went to Plan B,@ Gosden said. AI wasn=t prepared to run him first time up in the Guineas, Senior Vice President Gary King having missed last autumn because we had planned to run him Twitter: @garykingTDN in the Lagardere on Arc day. We=ve planned this race since the [email protected] Jacques le Marois and he is coming into the race fresh and well.@ + 1.732.320.0975 AWe=ve been happy with him in his pre-race preparation,@ he added. AHe ran well on the round mile in June and it was hard to International Editor judge if his run in Deauville was better than his Royal Ascot run, Kelsey Riley given the ground. He was impressive at Deauville, but I thought Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN he was impressive at Royal Ascot because he came strongly on [email protected] the bridle and I think Frankie had a good hold of him at the end European Editor to win in good style.@ Emma Berry Twitter: @collingsberry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen Twitter: @AlaynaCullen [email protected] Contributing Editors Alan Carasso Christina Bossinakis Cafe Racing Magical besting Ghaiyyath in the Irish Champion | racingfotos.com Sean Cronin Tom Frary [email protected] Magical is the third of the day=s short-priced favourites and in some ways the most rock-solid given that she has achieved the Irish Correspondent greatest piece of form so far this term by ending the streak of Daithi Harvey Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown on Sept. 12. In a renewal that contained the Regular Columnists Chris McGrath | John Berry | Kevin Blake subsequent Arc hero Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), the sovereign of Amy Lynam | Melissa Steele Ballydoyle finally delivered the kind of landmark performance that connections had long hoped for but feared would not emerge. In the aftermath of the retirement of her great female rival, she is here to complete the double-double of back-to-back English and Irish Champions, something that in itself if completed is unlikely to be matched for some time to come. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 4 OF 15 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 17 OCTOBER 2020 Champions Day Preview cont. The vanquished include the former Gosden luminaries Aidan O=Brien will be looking to round off 2020 on a high Nathaniel (Ire) and Jack Hobbs (GB), as well as the likes of Ruler following the contaminated feed debacle and the mixing-up of of the World (Ire), Free Eagle (Ire), Found (Ire) and Brametot the fillies last Friday. Unusually, he has few other likely winners (Ire), so it is a tough contest for the Classic generation. on the card, so Magical is very much the key player in their 2020 Lord North was 1 1/4 lengths off Magical when third to raiding party but she is one of those imperturbable types who Ghaiyyath in York=s G1 Juddmonte International on Aug. 19 and can carry such responsibility. AShe=s an amazing filly really-- is a fresh horse re-opposing her over the course and distance on we=ve seen how consistent she has been. She has run in all the which he was so impressive at the Royal meeting. Testing top Group 1s since she was a 2-year-old, which is unusual,@ her ground is an unknown in this kind of company, but he was able trainer said. AThere doesn=t seem to be any ceiling to her yet. to overcome it when taking a much weaker contest in the Listed She doesn=t need anybody else to help her--she=s very happy to James Seymour S. at Newmarket last November and this will plough a lone furrow.@ answer that question. As usual, Gosden offers the main opposition to Ballydoyle in AObviously you are bringing 3-year-old French form to bear the Champion with Prince Faisal=s July 5 G1 Prix du Jockey Club against proven older horses and that will be quite a challenge hero Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) and Sheikh Zayed bin for him, no doubt,@ Gosden said of Mishriff.