THERE is a trainers’ championship up for grabs at Ascot today too, as well as everything else. Qipco British Champions Day was well named.

It’s an annual clarion at this stage, it has been going on for a while now but, what with the champion jockey crowned at Ascot today and all – it’s William Buick, sorry for the spoiler – wouldn’t it make sense to crown the champion trainer as well?

It would add another dimension to an already fascinating day, Champions’ Day, Aidan O’Brien against the Gosdens, toe to toe (to toe) for six races, the oscillations and the pendulum swings that would go with each race.

Well, four of them anyway.

It won’t end this evening, it will run and run to December 31st, but, given the magnitude of the prize money that is on offer today, the respective manoeuvrings of the two trainers throughout the course of the day will be hugely influential in the determination of the destination of the trainers’ title.

It’s like the Thursday of The Open: you can’t win it today, but you can probably lose it.

It is quite remarkable that Aidan O’Brien is even in the hunt for the British trainers’ championship, and it is even more remarkable that he has won it six times before. Paddy Prendergast won the title in 1963, 1964 and 1965, and Vincent O’Brien won it in 1966, and again in 1977.

Aidan won the first of his six in 2001, and he has won it five times since, the latest in 2017.

He is just over £300,000 behind John and Thady Gosden in the 2023 championship, but that could change more than once between 1.15pm and 3.45pm today.

Narrow the gap

Aidan could narrow the gap in the first race, the Long Distance Cup, in which he fields Kyprios and Broome, and in which the Gosdens run Sweet William and Trawlerman.

Neither camp has a runner in the Sprint, and the markets suggest that there isn’t much between them in the Fillies & Mares Stakes, Jackie Oh and Red Riding Hood v Free Wind and Running Lion and Sweet Memories.

The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes could obviously be key, with Paddington a deserving favourite and over £650,000 going to the winner of the race.

Of course, the Gosdens run Nashwa, and remember that she finished in front of Paddington in the Juddmonte International, but it is correct that Paddington is favourite, and victory for the Irish Guineas winner could see Aidan O’Brien catapulted into the lead in the trainers’ championship.

The Gosdens also field Mostahdaf in the Champion Stakes, however, and the market has finally calmed down a bit on Mostahdaf, his exaggerated drift as the rains came down earlier in the week finally arrested with the switch to the inside track on Friday, to the point where he is now favourite.

It will be fascinating to monitor the fluctuations in the trainers’ championship as the afternoon develops.

Fillies & Mares

It will also be fascinating to see how Term Of Endearment gets on in the Fillies & Mares Stakes. Henry de Bromhead’s filly has 10lb to find on official ratings with her top-rated rivals, but she is progressive and she stays the 12-furlong trip well, and she loves this soft ground.

After shaping better than the bare form of her run in the Noblesse Stakes at Cork on her debut this season, she ran subsequent Royal Whip Stakes winner Layfayette to three quarters of a length in the Listed Martin Molony Stakes at Limerick at the end of June.

Given a nice break after that by her trainer, she returned in the Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes at Cork in August, and she stayed on strongly to win by almost five lengths from Library, with last Sunday’s Bluebell Stakes winner Dancing Tango back in third.

The ground was barely raceable that day – indeed, racing was abandoned after that race – so the switch to the inside track today is not necessarily a positive for Carmel Acheson’s filly.

That said, inside track or outside track, you know that conditions are going to be testing, and that will suit the Sea The Moon filly well. She is a progressive filly, Colin Keane said after the Give Thanks Stakes that she relaxed well through her race, and there is every chance that she will take another step forward today.

Jackie Oh is a big player, she will love the ground and she is the correct favourite but, from a betting perspective, at a much bigger price, Term Of Endearment may represent better value.

Balmoral Handicap

Awaal may represent the value in the concluding Balmoral Handicap.

The Crisfords’ horse hasn’t won since he won a Class 3 handicap at Redcar last October, but he has run some big races in defeat in the interim, and he has plenty in his favour today.

He ran a massive race in the Lincoln on his debut this season, when he was just run down late on by Migration, and he gets to race off a handicap rating today that is only 2lb higher than he was then. He is 4lb better off with his conqueror.

Also, he did really well to finish third in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot over today’s course and distance, on ground that should have been faster than ideal for him. He should enjoy today’s conditions.

He was well beaten in the Golden Mile at Goodwood in August, but he wore cheekpieces for the first time that day.

They were removed last time at Redcar, and he was much better, making up ground quickly after missing the break, and keeping on well after he was passed inside the final furlong to finish a close-up third behind Vafortino and the Ayr Gold Cup runner-up Ramazan.

That was his first run back after a short break, and it was over seven furlongs. He should be happier today back over a mile, and his high draw is probably a positive.

Term Of Endearment, 2.25 Ascot, 14/1 (generally), 1 point win

Awaal, 4.25 Ascot, 9/1 (generally), 1 point each-way