Almanzor rubber stamps Champion status in style

French favourite Almanzor produced a sublime performance under Christophe Soumillon to record his second successive win over Arc de Triomphe heroine Found and take the Champion Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Almanzor — trained by Jean-Claude Rouget — had beaten the outstanding Found into second place in last month’s Irish Champion Stakes and despite her since winning Europe’s most prestigious race the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe he had little trouble in dismissing her challenge on Saturday.
Found’s jockey Ryan Moore — who had had a largely frustrating Champions race day — eased the Aidan O’Brien-trained star when he realised the game was up leaving Soumillon to cost home and cast a glance to the sky before puffing out his cheeks in celebration.
“He is an amazing horse, everything you do with him is easy,” said Soumillon.
“I would never have thought that would be the case at the beginning of the season but he has just got smarter and smarter.
“He has never been tried over 1 1/2 miles (24000metres – the Champion is 1 1/4 (2000m)) but I’m sure he would stay, he is a very strong horse 9he stays in training),” added the 35-year-old Belgian, who won the 2011 renewal on Cirrus des Aigles.
Earlier Moore had at last buried his hoodoo on Champions Day in riding his first ever winner at the showpiece event on another extraordinary filly of O’Brien’s.
Minding, who finished third in the Irish Champion Stakes, stamped her class all over the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes passing Ribchester and then holding on as he came again to record her seventh Group One victory.
Minding — who sealed the debate as to who is the best miler not only of all ages but of filly and colt Guineas winners with Irish and English 2000 Guineas victors Awtaad and Galileo Gold in arrears — delighted O’Brien.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am,” said the 46-year-old Irishman, who has won the Irish trainers championship and is to be crowned British champion trainer for the first time since 2008.
“An incredible filly. They have to be very special to do those things.”
For Moore the victory was extra special coming against the colts as well.
“Some performance. She’s had a hard year and Aidan’s just freshened her up. It’s some achievement to see off the colts,” said Moore.
The first of O’Brien’s star trio of fillies to take to the track Seventh Heaven had a hellish passage in the Fillies and Mares and was never in contention to win.
Victory instead went to Frankie Dettori on the impressive Journey, the John Gosden-trained winner making up for her runners-up spot in the race last year.
“I couldn’t believe her turn of foot. She picked up like she had rollerskates!” gasped the 45-year-old Italian.
O’Brien suffered disappointment in the opener, The Long Distance Cup, as his Arc de Triomphe third and Ascot Gold Cup winner Order of St George could not repeat his heroics at the same track as he did in June.
Moore had thought it would be the perfect start to his day but his mount only really woke up in the final few hundred yards when it was far too late and he finished fourth.
The honours went instead to the David Simcock-trained Sheikhzayed Road under Martin Harley backing up on his win in the Doncaster Cup last time out.
The first Group One of the afternoon the Champions Sprint Stakes saw memories of the legendary Frankel revived as his jockey Tom Queally drove home Tin Man — emulating his half brother Deacon Blues — for trainer James Fanshawe.
For Queally it was the end of a Group One drought that stretched back to Frankel’s tearjerking victorious farewell in the Champion Stakes in 2012.
“When you’ve been through a bit of a drought it means a lot more. My family will get a buzz out of this,” said the 32-year-old Irishman.