Superb Octet For Emirates Airline Champion Stakes

A superb octet is set to go to post for the #350,000 Group One Emirates Airline Champion Stakes (3.30pm), the highlight of Champions? Day at Newmarket on Saturday, October 14.

Five of the eight declared runners have already scored at Group One level in what is all set to be one of the races of the decade on the NatWest Rowley Mile.

Hurricane Run, the 2005 horse of the year who won this year?s King George and was possibly unlucky on his latest outing when fourth in the Prix de l?Arc de Triomphe, is one of two French-trained runners along with the top-class mare Pride, who finished second to David Junior in the 2005 Emirates Airline Champion Stakes and was a fast-finishing second to Rail Link in the Prix de l?Arc de Triomphe just under a fortnight ago.

Heading the home-trained challenge is the Marcus Tregoning-trained Sir Percy. Victorious in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes on Champions? Day last year, Sir Percy chased home George Washington in the Stan James 2000 Guineas at Newmarket before his dramatic short-head success in the Vodafone Derby in June.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Notnowcato, successful in the Group One Juddmonte International at York in August, and French Oaks heroine Confidential Lady from the Sir Mark Prescott stable are the other two Group One winners in the contest.

Maraahel, third in the 2005 Emirates Airline Champion Stakes and a short-head second to Notnowcato at York last time, Rob Roy and Olympian Odyssey complete the field.

Juvenile Giants Clash In Darley Dewhurst Stakes

The #250,000 Group One Darley Dewhurst Stakes (4.10pm) sees 15 of the best two-year-olds in Europe go to post. This is the second-largest field since 1945, just one less than the 16 starters who lined up in 2002.

With the likes of unbeaten Irish challenger Teofilo, ante-post favourite for the Stan James 2000 Guineas next May and rated by his trainer Jim Bolger as a possible Triple Crown contender next season, Aidan O´Brien´s Holy Roman Emperor, second behind Teofilo at the Curragh before winning the Group One Prix Jean-Luc Lagerdere at Longchamp, Peter Chapple-Hyam´s undefeated Hamoody and dual Group Two winner Strategic Prince all engaged, it is certain to be the best juvenile race of this season and potentially the strongest for several years.

Top-Quality Racing All Round

Champions´ Day boasts a superb seven-race programme with just over #1 million in prize money including six Group Races on what is overall the highest class day´s racing in the British flat racing calendar. The day gets underway with the #90,000 Group Two VC Bet Challenge Stakes (2.10pm) over seven furlongs where 16 horses go to post.

Next up is the big handicap of the day, the #150,000 totesport Cesarewitch (2.50pm) over two miles and two furlongs which has 32 starters and looks as competitive as ever.

The Group Two #70,000 'In The Pink' Rockfel Stakes (sponsored by Owen Brown) (4.45pm), over seven furlongs for two-year-olds fillies has thrown up a host of future Group One winners in recent years and 12 months ago was won by this season´s Stan James 1000 Guineas heroine Speciosa. This year 14 fillies go to post headed by the Group One winning stablemate of Teofilo, Finsceal Beo.

There are seven starters in the #50,000 Group Three David Wilson Homes Jockey Club Cup (5.20pm) over two miles and Champions´ Day comes to a close with the #50,000 Group Three Unicorn Asset Management Darley Stakes (5.55pm) over nine furlongs, in which there are a dozen runners.

GOING AND WEATHER

The going remains Good-to-Soft, with Newmarket having missed nearly all yesterday´s rain. With a dry forecast for the next three days, the going on Saturday is likely to be Good, though probably just on the easy side.

'It´s incredible that we missed the rain yesterday,' said Michael Prosser, Newmarket´s Clerk of the Course.

He continued: 'From all the weather reports, it looked as though we were guaranteed to get a downpour, but apart from 0.6mm of drizzle in the morning, it passed us by on either side.

'The ground we will be using today and tomorrow is the same that we used for the Cambridgeshire Meeting. On Saturday, we will use a fresh strip of ground on the stands´ side which is 20 metres wide and has not been raced on since September 19 - it has been saved specifically for Champions´ Day and is in great condition.

'I´m hoping that the meterologists have got the forecast right as we are in for some extremely good weather for this time of year with temperatures of 19c and dry sunny spells for both today and tomorrow. There´s an outside chance of some light drizzle on Saturday morning, but otherwise it should be sunny and warm once again.

'Hurricane Run vs Pride vs Sir Percy in the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes will set the pulse racing, while the Darley Dewhurst that follows looks like the strongest two-year-old line up that I can remember for a good many years.

'With five other top class races on the card, I hope that racing fans from all over the country will get in their cars and head to Newmarket. Tickets are still available, the weather forecast is good and you might not find a better day´s flat racing for a very long time.'