Champions Sprint: runner-by-runner guide and tip

The Qipco British Champions Sprint arguably has a reputation for being something of a lottery after the big-priced successes of the relatively unheralded Donjuan Triumphant (33-1 in 2019) and Sands Of Mali (28-1 in 2018) in recent years, but eight of the last 12 winners at Ascot have gone off at single-figure odds with Deacon Blues, Muhaarar and Kinross among the well-backed winners.

Looking at the profile of recent winners, it's interesting to note that horses who have previously run in this race go quite well on their second time lining up with Slade Power (2013), The Tin Man (2016), Librisa Breeze (2017) and Kinross (2022) doing the trick in recent years and others to go close including Jack Dexter, Harry Angel and One Master. Donjuan Triumphant struck on his fourth attempt in 2019.

Horses running in this for the first time are 7 from 132 (18 per cent win and place, 0.75 A.E) while those who have previously contested the race are 5 from 58 (21 per cent win and place, 0.93 A/E) - for the latter group, that's 42 per cent of the the total winners from 31 per cent of the total runners.

Art Power, Rohaan, Run To Freedom and Vadream are among those with previous Champions Sprint experience along with last year's winner Kinross, though to date no horse has defended their crown in the Ascot race.

Here's our guide to all of this year's contenders.

Official rating: 114. Timeform rating: 129 Best odds: 20-1.

The likable grey is best known as a Curragh specialist (five from six at Irish Flat HQ) but he's run several good races at Ascot and notably in this contest, with the six-year-old set to line up for his fourth crack at this prize.

He was only beaten a length by Glen Shiel (with Brando and One Master just ahead) on his first attempt back in 2020 and that was probably his best effort of the three, with that run coming on ground described as Soft by Timeform with his other two runs on a slightly quicker surface.

The wet forecast will be to his liking, but you suspect his best chance of landing this might be behind him at this stage and while going back up to six furlongs on testing groud will suit he looks more of an outside place prospect here.

Official rating: 118. Timeform rating: 131 Best odds: 9-4.

This hugely likeable performer bids to strike once again in this race on his likely final start in Britain and, after shaping well enough in defeat earlier in the season, he has found the winning groove once again in recent starts and sets a pretty decent standard for the rest to aim at.

He won a bit easier than the margin indicates in the Lennox at Goodwood (good form) under a cute ride and similarly again in the City Of York Stakes, while the ground was quicker than ideal at ParisLongchamp last time.

He takes his racing well and has a poor record after any sort of break, so the fairly quick turnaround here is no issue and his autumn record is excellent while his assured stamina is an asset.

While official ratings suggest otherwise, whether he is coming here on quite the roll he did last term is open to a little question and no horse has defended their Champion Sprint title since the inauguration of Champions Day, despite Glen Shiel and Creative Force going close with repeat bids in recent years.

Official rating: 105. Timeform rating: 128 Best odds: 16-1.

The two-time Royal Ascot winner has an abundance of decent course-and-distance form and wasn't beaten too far in the race last year when fourth behind Kinross (only 4-1 for that) but has been in something of a freefall this season, dropping 9lb in the weights before bouncing back in a Class 2 handicap over course and distance last time.

He needs things to drop right for him given his from-the-back style and a strong test at this trip on potentially heavy going is a niggle, while he also has plenty to find on the ratings. His Ascot record is fairly notable but, on the balance of recent evidence, he looks short enough at the current odds.

Official rating: 116. Timeform rating: 128 Best odds: 25-1.

An excellent second at a whopping 150-1 in this race last year, the repeat bid has surely been his principal target all season but that hasn't precluded him running some big races in the meantime - notably when second in the July Cup - and there is feasibly a bit more to come from a five-year-old who has improved with each season so far.

He handles quick ground but his best runs have come on Good to Soft ground according to Timeform, even if six furlongs on a surface with some form of Heavy in the description might pose something of a question. Saying that, he should still give a good account all things considered and he looks big enough at the current prices.

Official rating: 109. Timeform rating: 126 Best odds: 40-1.

He's improved in three starts for Archie Watson, making a fine stable debut when landing the Wokingham at Royal Ascot before travelling particularly strong at Group One level in the Prix Maurice De Gheest next time and looking like one to note at the top table for the forseeable.

He took a mighty drift in the market and went off at 40-1 for the Sprint Cup at Haydock last time and was beaten five lengths after not making much of a late impression, but the visuals from his run at Deauville still linger and the strong suspicion is that he still has more to offer for a yard that has recent history in this race.

Heavy ground is a question mark for all he has proven versatile as regards going conditions so far and he's interesting at bigger prices.

Official rating: 110. Timeform rating: 127 Best odds: 12-1.

He is one of the more obvious soft-ground performers in the line-up and, with form at seven furlongs, he could help force things from the front here.

He's only had one start at Group One level and that was a very narrow defeat in the Prix Maurice De Gheest back in August. While good form, it's not a top-level race that has worked out especially strongly and you'd like a bit more proof for his reliability at this level, while he was beaten in a steadily-run seven furlongs on favoured soft ground last time and it's hard to see how he reverses the form with Sandrine on that form. He looks short enough to me at this stage.

Official rating: 111. Timeform rating: 126 Best odds: 8-1.

He was supplemented for the Sprint Cup at Haydock last time in something of an opportunistic move but he ran pretty well for sixth on ground that would have been lively enough and conditions should be more to his liking here, even if a strong test at six furlongs is something he has to prove.

The shortest-priced of the six three-year-olds in contention, that age group has underperformed in this race since the inception of Champions Day (3 winners from 51 runners, 0.65 A/E) but there is more to come from this colt and he's not readily dismissed, even if he doesn't make great appeal at the current prices.

Official rating: 107. Timeform rating: 123 Best odds: 40-1.

The four-year-old started the campaign as a Listed runner-up rated 93 and now has an official berth of 107 after creditable runs in all four efforts in Group company on her last four starts.

She showed quite a bit of speed when fourth in the Nunthorpe behind Live In The Dream in keeping with her consistent campaigning over five furlongs on decent ground, but connections are stepping her back up to six furlongs now after she seemed to stay on well in the Prix de l'Abbaye when sixth behind Highfield Princess last time. She could improve for the trip, but the half of the field towards the stands-side came home strongly at ParisLongchamp on Arc day and it could have just been the way the race unravelled on the day.

This test has a few question marks but you can't dispute that she's a likeable and improving type for a yard still going well.

Official rating: 113. Timeform rating: 130 Best odds: 9-1.

While still lightly-raced over six and seven furlongs at the start of the campaign after an excellent latest season she proved disappointing early this term before bouncing back after being fitted with a visor on her penultimate start.

She stuck on well under a ground-saving ride to take second behind Kinross in the Lennox Stakes with similar comments applicable to her York run behind that same horse on her penultimate run, while she did well to overcome a positional disaadvantage off a modest gallop to win the Park Stakes last time.

She generally sticks on at the finish and racing faster over the shorter six-furlong trip should suit her better as she can take a bit of a grip. She handles soft ground and this test could prove pretty favourable on her first crack at Champions Day.

Official rating: 108. Timeform rating: 125+ Best odds: 20-1.

She rates one of the more intriguing contenders here given she's not straightforward to assess after just six career starts so far and none at higher than Group Three level.

Her impressive Chipchase triumph at Newcastle 16 months ago - from some pretty useful performers and by four and a half lengths - doesn't read too badly and her return over an insufficient five furlongs last time after 455 days off the track was always likely to be with a view to Champions Day.

The soft ground and an uphill finish over six furlongs looks a nice test for this filly, even if her six prior starts gives her an unlikely profile as a potential winner of this (runners with six prior starts or less are 0-19 in this since 2011 though the likes of Minzaal and Twilight Son have gone close).

Official rating: 107. Timeform rating: 130 Best odds: 14-1.

The money has come for this mare given the forecast and that will suit this heavy-ground specialist who is likely to get something like her optimum conditions here and for the first time in a while.

For a professed slow-ground specialist it’s surprising to note that she’s only raced three times on turf on ground officially described as Soft or worse by Timeform and she has won all three, including in Group company from the likes of King’s Lynn and Glen Shiel over course and distance in the Bengough Stakes two years ago.

She travelled really nicely on her prep run at big price in same race last time and she's an interesting prospect for this, and especially so given she ran with real credit in the Champions Sprint last year on ground quicker than ideal when giving everything else a lead and sticking on really well.

She's been well-backed in recent days, but she still looks of each-way interest.

Official rating: 109. Timeform rating: 125 Best odds: 20-1.

This rapid improver has somewhat come from left-field this year after starting the campaign from a mark of 98 after two runner-up spots in Group Three company as a juvenile and ran an excellent race on her Group One debut last time.

She was supplemented for the Sprint Cup at Haydock last time and that faith was justified with a third-place finish - beaten less then a length - at 66-1 and it's feasible to expect more to come even if Soft or Heavy ground is something of an unknown at this stage and a factor that may not ideally suit this come-from-behind racer.

She did well to land Listed honours given the circumstances at Pontefract on her penultimate start and travelled well at Haydock before finding pretty well in the closing stages and she shouldn't be dismissed here.

Official rating: 107. Timeform rating: 115 Best odds: 50-1.

This looks an exacting spot on stable debut for Dominic Ffrench Davis, with this contest her first Group One assignment and back at six furlongs for the first time in over a year.

She handles heavy ground though and that will be an asset in conjunction with her stamina for seven furlongs, but she did blow out when last of 10 runners in Group Three company at Doncaster last time (trainer's representative could offer no explanation) and there are clearly more questions than answers here as well as a body of form that falls a fair bit shy of the principal players.

Official rating: . Timeform rating: 124 Best odds: 25-1.

This is her biggest test and by far, but she does handle heavy ground and she ran pretty well when fourth in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot when just over two lengths adrift back in fourth when in and around the likes of Swingalong, who is a shorter price here.

Her overall profile is not too convincing in the context of this race though given the weight of her overall form and relative inexperience and she would be a surprising winner.

Official rating: 107. Timeform rating: 123 Best odds: 16-1.

This customary pace-setter is one of the few established pace angles here and she could get a nice seam out in front, even if making all over six furlongs at Ascot on testing ground would be a pretty notable achievement.

The testing ground here would be a significant concern too but a stiffer six furlongs is worth a try after a big run in the Sprint Cup last time when ploughing her own furrow from the inner-most draw at Haydock and sticking on well to notable effect inside the final half furlong.

Her two-lengths third in the Commonwealth Cup doesn't read too badly either but she doesn't look to have optimal conditions and is easy enough to pass over at the prices.

Defending champion Kinross is the one to beat and the heavier ground this time shouldn't be a big issue for him, yet it could well narrow last year's advantage over some of those in behind and at the prices an each-way play against him makes more appeal.

VADREAM is the obvious place to start and the only thing that is off-putting about her is her tumbling price after being available at decent double figures earlier in the week. I like the fact that this race would have been her genuine target unlike several in this line-up, she shaped very well in her prep race last time and I think she's still worth an each-way interest at anything above 5-1.

This has also been the long-term target for Run To Freedom and this admirable campaigner often outruns his odds. I like his profile for this but the ground is an issue and, while he still looks overpriced at 25-1, the surface is enough to put me off for all he has form on good to soft ground.

The one that's worth chancing at a big price is SAINT LAWRENCE, who won the Wokingham on stable debut three starts ago and flashed plenty of class by tanking through the Prix Maurice de Gheest next time on softer ground. He took a huge drift in the market before the Sprint Cup next time and was never a genuine factor, yet he raced away from the main group and stuck on well and that should be an asset for this assignment. With Hollie Doyle back on board he could reward each-way interest at odds of 50-1.

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