Calandagan and Ombudsman headline Champion Stakes confirmations

Last year’s Qatar Racing Champion Stakes first and second Calandagan and Ombudsman are among 11 confirmations for the showpiece event at Ascot on Saturday.

Francis-Henri Graffard’s Calandagan was on a real roll when striking 12 months ago, with his victory being part of a five-race winning streak at Group One level.

He was beaten by Kalpana when defending his King George crown in July, but has enjoyed a late summer break and will return as a leading contender under Christophe Soumillon, deputising for regular rider Mickael Barzalona, who is serving a whip suspension.

Ombudsman has won the Dubai Turf, Sandown’s Brigadier Gerard and Prince of Wales’s Stakes this term, but he will had back to Ascot with a point to prove after finishing fourth in his bid for back-to-back victories in the Juddmonte International at York in August.

George Scott is due to send Bay City Roller back into action just 13 days after chasing home Daryz in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, while Gstaad is poised to be Aidan O’Brien’s chief contender, stepping up to the mile and a quarter for the first time.

The Ballydoyle handler has also left in Constitution River, but he looks set to drop back in trip having been supplemented for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on the same card. O’Brien also has Minnie Hauk, Hawk Mountain and Isaac Newton.

The Irish challenge is completed by Hotazhell, who attempts to become only the third horse since 2011 to win both the Irish Champion Stakes and the Champion Stakes in the same season after Almzanzor in 2016 and Magical in 2019.

The four-year-old got the better of subsequent Prix Dollar winner Wimbledon Hawkeye when running out a shock 50-1 winner at Leopardstown last month, and trainer Jessica Harrington is confident he can prove that was no fluke on what will be his final start before retiring to stud.

“Hotazhell winning the Irish Champion Stakes was an amazing lift for everybody here in Commonstown,” said Harrington.

“Winning a big race, a big Group One race like that, which features all over the world, it’s fantastic for the owners. The yard really gets an unbelievable kick out of it and everyone came in on the Monday morning with a large grin on their face.

“He came out of the race really well, he lost very little weight, he’s done a bit of work at the Curragh since and we were very happy with him – it’s all systems go for Ascot.

“He’ll go in there a little bit under the radar because they’ll say he was lucky to win it at Leopardstown, but looking back on the race, I think he won it fair and square.”

Ombudsman’s stablemate and pacemaker Devil’s Advocate and Ed Walker’s Almaqam complete the acceptors.