The flat racing season might be drawing to a close, but it’s still an exciting time of the year for its loyal following — with the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe recently taking place at the iconic Longchamp racecourse in Paris, while British Champions Day, the big-money Breeders’ Cup World Championships in America and the Melbourne Cup are all still to come over the next couple of months.
It’s Britain’s grand finale we’re going to focus on in this article. British Champions Day has drawn the curtain on the United Kingdom’s flat racing season for over a decade now and it has just as quickly grown in prestige, with tens of thousands of punters flocking to Ascot for what is Britain’s richest raceday.
With the best horses in the country ascending on the hallowed turf of the royal course on October 15th, there’s scope for some quality competitors with longer odds than the favourites to cause an upset. So, let’s take a look at some of the outsiders who could prove to be good value for money in the betting odds.
Brad The Brief – Sprint Stakes
After going two for two in the early stages of the year, beating 2020 Sprint Stakes winner and last year’s runner up Glen Shiel by over three lengths at Haydock before winning the Group 2 Ireland Greenland Stakes at the Curragh, Brad The Brief’s season was put on hold for much of the summer due to unsuitable ground — missing both the City Of York and the Group 1 Sprint Cup due to good to firm conditions.
But with damper weather expected in the build up to British Champions Day, the ground might just suit the Hugo Palmer-trained horse and the five-year-old could prove great value at 14/1. It would be a first win at the top level for Brad The Brief, but he’s proven with that Group 2 win at the Curragh that he is capable.
Modern Games – Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
Modern Games’ form this season proves that he is at his best over a mile, and best odds of 12/1 for the Charlie Appleby-trained horse seem very generous for punters looking for betting tips ahead of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. The Godolphin three-year-old won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (the French equivalent of the 1000 Guineas) at Longchamp back in May, but couldn’t follow that up at Chantilly or Deauville when tested over 1m2½f and seven furlongs — finishing third and fifth respectively.
Back on English soil, he was a late substitute for stablemate Coroebus in the Goodwood Sussex Stakes. Never expected to beat the world number one horse Baaeed, Modern Games was the best of the rest as he came home by less than two lengths behind the star attraction. A Grade 1 winner last time out in Canada, winning the Woodbine Mile Stakes, Modern Games has good form over this distance. Inspiral won’t be easy to beat, but might be worth an each-way shout.
Magical Lagoon – Fillies & Mares Stakes
The Fillies & Mares Stakes looks like one of the more wide-open races of the day, with no outright favourite as Above The Curve, Emily Upjohn and Mimikyu all vie for favouritism at 6/1. But further back at 10/1, Magical Lagoon could put in a solid claim for the £283,550-winning prize purse.
Trainer Jessica Harrington might be more accustomed to success in the National Hunt racing scene, with a number of major wins at the Cheltenham Festival to her name, but Magical Lagoon has brought the 75-year-old some joy on the flat this season — winning the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot before a win in the Irish Oaks at the Curragh.
She was fifth last time out at York, but Harrington claimed she was still very happy with the daughter of Galileo and 10/1 looks like good value if she can rediscover that form from her back-to-back wins in the summer.
