AS connections begin finalising their end-of-season plans, French trainers are forming a strong raid ahead of QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on October 19th.

Francis-Henri Graffard’s Calandagan is currently second-favourite for the Group 1 QIPCO Champion Stakes, with Irish Champions Stakes victor Economics heading the market. While many rued City Of Troy’s absence from Leopardstown, Calandagan will provide some test of his form, having finished a length behind him in the Juddmonte International Stakes last time out.

That performance fills Graffard with confidence. “I thought it was a fantastic run at York,” the trainer said. “He accelerated strongly and his final three furlongs were impressive. The main difference between York and Champions Day will likely be the ground, but he has form on soft ground earlier in the year.

“We have already met City Of Troy and now we take on another very strong opponent in Economics. It will be interesting to see how it pans out, and ground conditions could be a factor, but we know that Calandagan is a very good horse and look forward to the race.”

Calandagan is proven on rain-softened ground, having won Group 3s on heavy and very soft ground, though the versatile gelding drew six lengths clear in a Group 2 on good-to-firm.

Rain dance

Among those praying for rain is Jean-Pierre Gauvin, who hopes to gain his first win on British soil with fellow Champion Stakes contender Iresine. The consistent seven-year-old is a Group 1 winner over both ten and a half furlongs, and a mile and seven and a half furlongs, with seven stakes wins between those trips.

The common thread is the ground, which is no coincidence, Gauvin says. “The distance is not the most important factor for him,” he explained. “With Iresine, the key is the ground. We hope it will be as soft as possible.”

The fact that Iresine had other options open to him also speaks volumes, as his trainer explained. “We could have stayed in France for the Prix du Conseil de Paris or the Prix Royal-Oak, but the Royal-Oak has moved to Saint-Cloud, a track where Iresine performs worse than at Longchamp. The horse deserves to run in Group 1 races and we all collectively really want to experience this English adventure with the different co-owners, including my children.”

QEII Contenders

Facteur Cheval and Metropolitan were also entered in the Champion Stakes, but connections of both have elected to race over a mile in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Charyn currently heads the betting, having beaten Metropolitan by three lengths in the Prix Jacques le Marois, but Mario Baratti is confident his charge can turn the tables. “Metropolitan has improved again since the Jacques le Marois,” he said. “He is getting stronger all the time and I have been very happy with his preparation for Champions Day.”

The Zarak colt’s best performance came on soft ground in May, when landing the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, before finishing third in the St James’s Palace Stakes on good-to-firm.

The ground has also been a factor this season for Facteur Cheval, as trainer Jerome Reynier explained: “I think you can forget about his run in the Queen Anne Stakes as he lost a shoe and raced on the wrong side of the track. I thought he ran a good race at Goodwood, even though the ground was a little bit too firm for him.

“Given how he looks and the way he is training, I think we have him in better shape now than before the Sussex Stakes. His latest gallop on Saturday was very good, and I am really pleased with where we are.”

Despite his distaste for firmer conditions, Facteur Cheval’s top-flight win came in Dubai, where he beat six previous Group 1 winners in the Dubai Turf. Out of the first four on just one of his 16 career starts, he has placed in five Group 1’s, including in this race last year.