The twist in the narrative at the end of the Champion Stakes on Saturday was so unexpected that Anmaat and Jim Crowley crossed the line in near-silence, having stifled the celebrations of favourite-backers by sweeping past Calandagan, the 6-4 market leader, a few strides from the line. For Crowley, though, it was a moment to savour and the sound of a job well done, not least after the disappointment of his defeat on the long odds-on Baaeed in the same race two years ago.
Only two of the 11 runners in the race set off at a bigger price than Anmaat, who was a 40-1 chance despite having won the Group One Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp in May 2023 on his only previous start at the highest level. A long absence through injury followed that success, and while he was a winner again at Haydock in August, a poor run when favourite for the Prix Dollar at Longchamp a fortnight ago persuaded most backers to look elsewhere.
Yet Crowley was travelling like the best horse in the race at the top of the straight. His problem - as it was for Stéphane Pasquier on Calandagan – was that he had nowhere to go, as the field had remained tightly bunched behind the pace set by Aidan O’Brien’s two runners around Ascot’s tight inner circuit.
Both riders worked minor miracles to conjure up a run in the final quarter mile and Calandagan’s thrust into the lead a furlong out seemed decisive, only for Crowley to deliver Owen Burrows’s gelding with impeccable timing in the shadow of the post.
Plumpton 1.55 Roman Roy 2.25 Touquet 2.55 Time To Bite 3.25 Saligo Bay 3.55 Icare Grandchamp 4.25 Davidoc 4.55 River Tyne 5.30 Belles Benefit
Bath 2.07 French Martini 2.37 Plutonic 3.07 Atherstone Beau 3.37 Storm Venture 4.10 Sisters In The Sky 4.40 Carnival Day 5.15
Pontefract 2.15 Leblon Girl 2.45 Bentbasa 3.15 Calla Lagoon 3.45 Sophia’s Starlight (nap) 4.15 Kyle Of Lochalsh 4.45 Inappropriate 5.20 Profiteer (nb)
Southwell 4.05 Sybaris Jewel 4.35 Lzaz 5.08 Bluelight Bay 5.43 Zipster 6.15 End Of Romance 6.45 Dandy G Boy 7.15 Evoluir 7.45 King Chaos 8.15 A Gift Of Love
Wolverhampton 4.20 Heaven Knows 4.50 Lady Dreamer 5.25 Guildford 6.00 Port Noir 6.30 Mockirr 7.00 Gundogan 7.30 Celebrating Ethel 8.00 Peripeteia 8.30 Bluebells Boy
“I got stuck behind [the Irish Derby winner] Los Angeles and I thought he’d be a great horse to take me into the race,” Crowley said. “But then I could see Ryan [Moore] niggling and I knew I was in a bit of trouble.
“It just didn’t open. I was looking left, right, where can I go? Then we switched inside and at the last minute, I saw the sniff of a gap and it was an extraordinary performance for him to do what he did on that ground.
“It was no fluke. I honestly thought he’d win the [Group One] Eclipse two years ago but he went wrong the day before. The plan was to win the Prix Dollar and come here, and of course it didn’t work out in France and it was 50-50 at the start of the week whether he was going to run. Obviously we kept him in and thank God we did, because it showed what we thought he could do.”
Baaeed’s defeat here at 1-4 two years ago, meanwhile, has clearly not been forgotten by his jockey.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get over Baaeed getting beat, to be honest,” Crowley said. “But it happens to the best horses, so many good ones get beat on this day, so it’s lovely to finally get a win in the Champion Stakes.”
Anmaat’s win was a significant setback for the punters on Britain’s richest day at the races, but they had several reasons to celebrate earlier on the card as Kyprios (8-11), in the Long Distance Cup, Kalpana (100-30), in the Fillies’ & Mares’ Stakes, and then Charyn, at 7-4 favourite for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, all came home in front.
Kempton 1.40 Cracker Star 2.15 Alien Storm 2.50 Seeyouinmydreams 3.25 Persian Time 4.00 Rubaud (nb) 4.35 God’s Own Getaway 5.10 Rebel Intentions (nap)
Sedgefield 2.00 Jac Jumper 2.35 Continuance 3.10 Kow Boy Sivola 3.45 My Gift To You 4.20 Dripsey Moon 4.55 The Navigator 5.30 Karton Plein
Charyn, who was a well-beaten 66-1 chance in the 2,000 Guineas in May 2023, has improved steadily since and will retire to stud in France – perhaps after one more race abroad – as the winner of three Group One races this season.
“He’s got everything, that horse,” Roger Varian, the winning trainer, said. “He’s just got such a good mentality for the game, and an engine to go with it. He is not wasting energy doing barn-storming gallops, but when he gets to the races, he’s completely here.”
