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Champions Deliver on Champions Day at Ascot

Mark Smith - Sunday Oct 21

While The Cliffsofmoher (IRE) pulled up one and three-quarter lengths short of crediting Galileo with his 74th Group 1 winner when a gallant third in the Caulfield Cup, Coolmore's super sire hit that mark when the Aidan O'Brien-trained Magical won the QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes on a magical Champions day at Ascot.

Galileo eased past the mark set by his own sire Sadler's Wells and now only bows to another Coolmore legend, Danehill who has a total of 84 winners at the highest level worldwide.

In defeating the Dubawi fillies in Coronet and Lah Ti Dar, Magical joins her triple Group 1-winning sister Rhododendron on the honour board for Pivotal's remarkable daughter Halfway To Heaven who numbered wins in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas, Group 1 Nassau Stakes and G1 Sun Chariot Stakes in her career on the track.

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There were three remarkable and emotional victories at Ascot for the champion trainer John Gosden with the ageless Frankie Dettori on two of them.


After earning his connections a £1million bonus with wins in the Yorkshire Cup, Ascot Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and Lonsdale Cup, Stradivarius kept his season at a perfect five for five in the Group II QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (2m) when defeating last year's Melbourne Cup sixth Thomas Hobson.

The son of Sea The Stars will be back next season but it's unlikely his stablemate Cracksman (pictured) will after defending his title in the Group 1 QIPCO British Champion Stakes, the same race that brought the curtain down on the career of his sire Frankel.

No stud plans have been announced for the Anthony Oppenheimer homebred whose winning margin of six lengths was just a length short of his winning margin 12 months ago.

The rising 5yo retired with a record of 8 wins, 2 seconds and 1 from 11 starts with four at the highest level.

He is another out of a mare by Pivotal, this time the stakes-winning Rhadegunda who also produced the Group III Solario Stakes winner Fantastic Moon (Dalakhani).

Another fan favourite Roaring Lion made it four Group 1 wins on the trot in the Queen Elizabeth 11 Stakes (1m).

With Oisin Murphy in the saddle, Qatar Racing's grey son of Kitten's Joy toughed out a fighting neck victory over Fastnet Rock's daughter I Can Fly.

Sheikh Fahad said the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on November 3 is under consideration before he retires to Tweenhills Stud, which is also the Northern Hemisphere home of Zoustar.

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