2024 British Champions Day News - Quotes from leading connections

Jon Vine

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Last updated: 18 Oct 2024

Jon Vine 18 Oct 2024

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Quotes from connections ahead of the 2024 British Champions Day
Five huge Group races will be run at Ascot on Saturday 19th October
Read quotes from Aidan O'Brien, William Haggas, Oisin Murphy and more

Aidan O'Brien talking to Ryan Moore at Ascot. (Getty)

Champions Day Quotes

Long Distance Cup Quotes
Champions Sprint Quotes
Champion Fillies' & Mares' Stakes Quotes
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Quotes
Champion Stakes Quotes

Quotes from connections ahead of 2024 British Champions Day, which takes place at Ascot on Saturday.

Four fantastic Group One races will be run at Ascot, along with the Group Two Long Distance Cup. Read what the connections of this year's leading contenders have had to say ahead of this huge day of racing.

2024 British Champions Day Quotes

Long Distance Cup Quotes

Kyprios (Aidan O'Brien)

Kyprios has come back from Longchamp well and we are very happy with him. He obviously hasn’t done much since then, but he seems to be in good form.

He’s obviously an unbelievable horse to do what he’s done every run this year, and last year too really, as he’d only just come back from injury. I don’t think we could even have dreamed he'd do as well as he has after his injury last year. What’s he’s done is just incredible.

He had a couple of runs in his build up for the Gold Cup, and to go on from there to Goodwood, the Irish St Leger and then to France is just incredible. It’s unbelievable to have him around still to compete in races like this at this time of the year, and although this is back to a Group 2 we had it pencilled in for him after France if he came out of the race well.

Hopefully he’ll be back again next year too. We’ll get him through the winter and then back for a couple of runs again before the Gold Cup again. He’s incredible.

Trawlerman (John Gosden)

Trawlerman ran a great race in the Gold Cup and has enjoyed a nice break since. He won this race last year and heading back has been the plan for quite some time. He likes Ascot and should enjoy conditions again.

Al Nayyir (Tom Clover)

He worked on Sunday morning and seems really well in himself. If he can repeat the two runs he has had for us, we would be hopeful of having a good chance. He is ground versatile as well.

undefined — Frankie Dettori riding Kinross win The Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in 2022. (Getty)

Champions Sprint Quotes

Kinross (Rossa Ryan)

He ran a super race in France and he just bumped into a really good filly.

When the ground goes that bad on Arc day and it’s one of the last races, giving all the weight away was a big ask, especially in his older days.

If he is going to Ascot, he will be 110 per cent right, he’s that sort of customer and he won’t be turning up just to make up the numbers.

All credit has to go to Ralph and the team, they are the ones who deserve all the praise, as they are the ones to have wrapped him up in cotton wool – and he still hasn’t lost his mojo and it’s great to see.

Montassib and Unequal Love (William Haggas)

Montassib ran well at Haydock. I just can’t get him, really. Since I dropped him back to six, he’s been very good, but he keeps pricking his ears when he gets to the front and you always think when they do that, they have a bit left. I don’t know how much left there is.

Unequal Love ran a great race at Haydock. I’d be concerned about really soft ground for her, but she’s got nothing else, she’s going to stay in training, so she’s going to run whatever. Hopefully it will be fun.

Kind Of Blue (James Fanshawe)

Kind Of Blue is out of a sister to Deacon Blues, who won the first Qipco British Champions Sprint, and a half-sister to The Tin Man, who won the race in 2016.

They were both four-year-olds when they won the race and Kind Of Blue is only three but he’s by Blue Point and a big, strong colt, hopefully with a bright future.

Mill Stream (Jane Chapple-Hyam)

I think his form is as good as any and he goes there in very good order. He’ll be doing his best and I think he’s good value.

We are lucky to have William again. He’s my super-sub. He came in for Saffron Beach and he’s come in for Mill Stream. We call him when we need him!

Elite Status (Clifford Lee)

Elite Status has been a great horse for the stable this year and he is going there in top form.

He went to Southwell for a gallop last week just to blow the cobwebs out and he’s in good order.

The ground at Haydock last time was probably too soft and I hope it’s not too soft again on Saturday. The way it’s looking, that could be the case and we just hope he will run well.

Bucanero Fuerte (Adrian Murray)

He’s in good order, two weeks ago he was in some serious order and hopefully he’s as good as he was then.

We were all saying that if the race was two weeks ago, he’d have been in serious nick, but he’s still in good form and hopefully he’ll run a big race.

The five furlongs was just a bit sharp for him (last time out), he was on his head, and the stiff six would suit him better. He won’t mind the ground at all, he’s won on that before.

James's Delight (Ryan Moore)

It's a wide-open Champion Sprint with Kinross and Betfair Sprint Cup winner, Montassib, looking the ones to beat but James's Delight has improved all season and deserves to take his place in the line-up. I won a valuable sprint handicap on him at York in June. He stepped up successfully into listed company in Deauville next time out before just getting touched off by Spycatcher in a Group 3 at the same track. He is only 3yo and still improving and should go well on ground that's suits.

Champion Fillies' & Mares' Stakes Quotes

Kalpana (PJ McDonald)

She's a high-class filly and she's shown it all year. She looked super impressive at Newmarket earlier on this season and then her second in the Pretty Polly was a good run.

She then ran a very good race on quick ground in the Ribblesdale at Ascot, which wouldn't have been to her liking. Her win at Hamilton in the Glasgow Stakes probably gave her a bit of confidence.

She likes an ease in the ground, which hopefully she'll get on Champions Day, and at the minute she looks on course for the Fillies & Mares. She's in good shape and it's her number-one aim.

Content, Grateful and Wingspan (Aidan O'Brien)

Content likes the mile and a half and she has form on soft ground. France was a bit of a non event, as it was back to a mile and a quarter and they went very slow. She always wears earplugs, but in France you aren’t allowed to run in earplugs unless you wear a hood, so she obviously had to wear both, which might have been too much for her. We put her run there down to a combination of all those things, and we have to put a line through it.

Grateful is a classy filly with an unbelievable pedigree (by Galileo out of Tepin, who won the Breeders’ Cup Mile and the Queen Anne Stakes). Christophe (Soumillon) gave her a brilliant ride when she won the Prix de Royallieu, and he rides again. That was over a mile and six, but this race will ride like more than a mile and a half as it will be so testing, so hopefully she’ll run well again.

Wingspan is on the upgrade big time. Ryan felt she was a little bit unlucky a few times, but she’s definitely improving and her mum Hydrangea won this race, so she got the mile and a half. We think she’ll handle the ease in the ground, and her work is stepping up every week.

Quantanamera (Andreas Suborics)

She is fine, her preparation has been perfect. We have been looking forward to this race and the ground is ideal for her.

She had her best performance on this kind of ground, hopefully they stay on the outside track and don’t move to the inside.

She’s in great condition and everything has gone brilliantly with her.

Tiffany (Sir Mark Prescott)

It’s nice to have another top-class filly. This has been Tiffany’s target for a little while. It’s obviously a big step up but she is in good form and has had a good season.

Time Lock (Harry Charlton)

She had a low draw and they didn’t go much pace which didn’t suit her. She was pinned against the rail and didn’t like it. She is a big galloping mare and needs space. I think she is stronger than last year and is in good heart.

War Chimes (David Menuisier)

We gave her a break after the Irish Oaks and decided to go straight for the Fillies And Mares. She hung that day, but she’d had a busy time, finishing third at Epsom, and she was just a bit tired.

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Quotes

Charyn (Silvestre De Sousa)

It was great to find a horse like Charyn to take me through the season. He’s been improving since day one, when he started in a Listed race, and he has gone on to win a Group 2 and the Group 1s at Royal Ascot and Deauville.

You could say he’s unlucky not to be unbeaten this year, as things went against him in the Lockinge (second to Audience) and it was a similar story last time in the Moulin (second again, to Tribaliste).

It’s been a good season apart from the recent suspension, and now I’m looking forward to Saturday. It’s been a long three weeks that I’ve been off, and I don’t agree with it as I’m being punished twice, but I’m back in time for Champions Day and I’m looking forward to Charyn.

He had a racecourse gallop at Newmarket last week and I rode him again in his final bit of work on Tuesday morning. He’s very laid back, and he only does what you ask him to do. You have to ask him questions at the right time, but he’s in very good form.

Tamfana (Oisin Murphy)

David Menuisier has told me he couldn’t be more happy with her wellbeing. It sounds like she has bounced out of her Sun Chariot victory and I’m really looking forward to partnering her.

She is very easy to ride and she has a good draw besides Charyn, I’m very pleased about that and she relaxes wherever you want. She handles soft ground well.

Obviously, Charyn has been the standout miler this season, he goes on all ground conditions and doesn’t know how to run a bad race. He will be a tough nut to crack and there are a few others in there such as Metropolitan, the French horse, that warrant respect.

Facteur Cheval (Jerome Reynier)

I think you can forget about his run in the Queen Anne Stakes as he lost a shoe and raced on the wrong side of the track. I thought he ran a good race at Goodwood (third in Sussex Stakes), even though the ground was a little bit too firm for him, and I think we have him in better shape now.

Metropolitan (Mario Baratti)

Metropolitan has improved again since the Jacques le Marois. He is getting stronger all the time and I have been very happy with his preparation.

I believe we can get closer to Charyn this time. Charyn was very impressive at Deauville but, in my opinion, he is better on good ground, whereas I think our horse is better on soft ground and that will help our chance.

Henry Longfellow (Aidan O'Brien)

Henry Longfellow hasn’t had things go right for him yet this year. He just hasn’t had the rub of the green, and variables that we can’t control have gone against him so far, but he’s still run some very good races. Maybe that’s the way it's going to be for him, but we don’t think we’ve seen the best of him.

We are very happy with his work and he has form with ease in the ground. If he was back to his St James’s Palace form he’d be thereabouts.

Prague (Dylan Cunha)

He won on soft ground last time when he took the Joel Stakes really well. He worked on Saturday morning, he worked nicely and he’s come out of it really well and he’s going to get his ground. We all felt it was worth having a go.

When you look at official ratings, he’s now only 5lb below Charyn. We know he will have to improve a lot to beat Charyn, but he’s definitely in great form, so we have to go for it.

When a horse like him is on such a steep curve, especially at this time of year, you might never get one in this form again, so we’re going in with a good chance.

We’re fairly confident he’ll run well, we’ve spent the money, so it is written in the stars now, we’ve done our bit!

I’m at the sales looking for another now, hopefully someone drops me a yellow receipt with a horse bought for me, that would be nice.

Checkandchallenge (William Knight)

He’s in great form at home, I couldn’t be happier with him. Obviously it’s a tough race, but we’ve secured Christophe Soumillon to ride, who has won him before. I think he’ll run a big race.

He won’t mind any ease in the ground and he goes there in really good nick. His last runs since being gelded have been really solid runs, I think he likes the straight track there and he could run a really good race on Saturday.

Champion Stakes Quotes

Economics (William Haggas)

The Irish Champion Stakes was a very strong race and Leopardstown is a very, very complicated track, so you need a lot of luck. I thought Tom [Marquand] was exceptional there and he came in and said Economics was a tough horse, as it was very messy. He felt he asked a lot of the horse at various times and he didn't let him down.

He's a good horse, but it was a tough race and he's needed every week to come to his best for Saturday. He's won on fast ground this year and we'll see whether he copes. I think he'll be okay, because I think he's very versatile, but it will be top of the list of excuses if it all goes wrong I suppose.

Calandagan (Francis-Henri Graffard)

Everything is well with Calandagan and he looks in very good shape. He has had a bit of time since York and, provided all goes well between now and Champions Day, he will be spot on for the Champion Stakes.

I thought it was a fantastic run at York. He accelerated strongly and his final three furlongs were impressive. The main difference between York and Champions Day will likely be the ground, but he has form on soft ground earlier in the year.

We have already met City Of Troy and now we take on another very strong opponent in Economics. It will be interesting to see how it pans out, and ground conditions could be a factor, but we know that Calandagan is a very good horse and look forward to the race.

Los Angeles and Continuous (Aidan O'Brien)

Los Angeles ran a fantastic race in the Arc. Ideally, we’d have preferred a lead, but nobody else was going to go on. He was just a little bit of a baby out in front, waiting for company the whole time, but he still ran a great race.

He’s had a busy season but he’s a big, strong colt who has been coming out of his races well all year. Hopefully we’ll have him back next year, but that’s something for the lads to decide.

Continuous ran in the Arc too but it was a bit of a non-event as he ran into the horse that was injured coming down the hill. Christophe said we could put a line through it, and he rides again. He’s had an easy season and his action suggests he’ll handle the ground, even though he handles fast ground as well.

Iresine (Marie Velon)

I'm very excited to be returning to Ascot. My first experience of it was amazing. I didn't win but my team did! To ride in the Champion Stakes on Iresine is a dream, as he is the best horse of my life. We grew up together, so to run in this big race is unbelievable, for both me and the team.

Calandagan and Economics are the best horses of the season, but I will count on Iresine's experience to beat them. It's a beautiful challenge and we will do our best. He is in great form, better than last time. He will be 100% for Saturday and the ground will be perfect for him. I can't wait!

Anmaat (Owen Burrows)

He seems fine and I think we’ll just have to put a line through it.

It’s the first time he has ever let us down and he’s entitled to have an off day for whatever reason and the race wasn’t really run to suit.

He could possibly go to the Champion Stakes, Sheikha Hissa is thinking about it, so we will see.

Royal Rhyme (Karl Burke)

He is in great form and I am praying the ground is soft or even heavier. On faster ground he was only three and a half lengths behind them in the Irish Champion. On soft ground, I'd be very hopeful of turning around that form. He is getting better and stronger with every race.

King's Gambit (Oisin Murphy)

I rode him work about 10 days ago at Kempton and I thought he was fit and in super shape.

Obviously, Harry Charlton has only just begun training in his own name and this horse goes there with a fantastic outside chance.

I think Calandagan and Economics are two standout horses and just going on ratings, there are few horses better than them on the planet. I thought what Economics did in Ireland was fantastic and Calandagan passed me at Royal Ascot like I was stood still.

See The Fire (Andrew Balding)

I was delighted with her run over a mile in the Sun Chariot and she had some good horses behind her. She is going to have a long holiday after this.