TRACKSIDE
QIPCO British Champions Day 2017 set for October 21st
an impressive 8½-length score in a $70,000 maiden special weight at Del Mar. After an unsuccessful stakes debut on turf in her next start, Finest City again returned to the winner’s circle with an easy 3 ¼-length score in a $53,000 allowance at Del Mar. Finest City competed against some of the top female sprinters on the West Coast throughout the winter of 2015-16, and by April she finally broke through, becoming a stakes winner when she captured the $200,000 Great Lady M Stakes (G2) at Los Alamitos. that race earned her a chance to compete in the Breeders’ Cup where she nearly faced off against Nothhaft’s own Grade 1 winner Living the Life (Ire). “We originally had fairly elaborate plans to attend the Breeders’ Cup but when (Living the Life) came up lame before the race, I canceled our reservations. I came to regret this decision,” Nothhaft admits. “So, my wife and I were glued to our tv watching the race. I must be honest, I thought (Finest City) could win, but was really more confident in a top-three finish. When she did win, we were cheering and literally jumping for joy. Within seconds, my cell phone exploded with texts and calls beyond anything we had ever experienced.” On November 5, 2016, Finest City joined an elite group of just three other PA-Breds who have captured a Breeders’ Cup race when she crossed the wire first in the $1,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), holding off defending champion Wavell Avenue by three-quarters of a length under heavy urging from hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. those other Breeders’ Cup-winning PA-Breds are some of the most talented athletes to grace the Breeders’ Cup: Alphabet Soup won the 1996 Classic in a thrilling stretch battle with Louis Quatorze and Cigar; Go for Wand captured the 1989 Juvenile Fillies as part of a campaign that culminated in her being crowned that year’s eclipse Award Champion two-Year-Old Filly; and tikkanen, who set a track record at Churchill Downs in the 1994 Breeders’ Cup turf. Finest City enjoyed a short break following the biggest race of her life but has since returned to Ian Kruljac’s Santa Anita barn. She is steadily working towards a 2017 campaign that would ideally give her the opportunity to defend her Breeders’ Cup title, this time in her owners’ hometown of San Diego at her favorite track, Del Mar. She is also now a finalist for 2016 Champion Female Sprinter, along with haveyougoneaway and Paulassilverlining – both of whom finished behind Finest City in the Breeders’ Cup. the winner will be crowned on January 21, 2017 at the annual eclipse Awards gala in Florida. Win or lose, nothing will compare to the thrill of winning a Breeders’ Cup race. tyler Seltzer said it best when the NBC Sports camera crew caught up with him following the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. the excitement was overwhelming, and all he could think to say was an emphatic, “She’s pretty great!”
QIPCO British Champions Day is the breathtaking finale to the British Flat racing season. Ascot racecourse is set alight on the nation’s richest ever raceday, as champions are crowned Kings and Queens of the turf. Since its inauguration in 2011, QIPCO British Champions Day has firmly established itself as one of the world’s highest quality fixtures in the racing calendar. Last year it was the only day in europe to feature multiple races from the top ten highest-rated races in the world. As a result, the event attracts not only one of the biggest crowds seen at any racecourse in Britain, but also the country’s most esteemed guests, such as her Majesty the Queen, who has attended every year thus far. Four Group 1 contests and a Group 2, all run over different distances, ensure that the quality of the racing and the accompanying atmosphere are nothing short of exceptional. this year’s renewal of QIPCO British Champions Day will offer a record-breaking purse of £4.3million, guaranteeing another raceday fit for the world stage. the feature race of the day, the £1.3million G1 Champion Stakes, is the highest rated race in Britain and consistently attracts top-class thoroughbreds, with victory in 2016 going to the 129-rated ALMANZOr. the roll of honour for this race features some of the greats, including FrANKeL and his brother, NOBLe MISSION. the Queen elizabeth II Stakes is europe’s richest mile race, and victory last year added the final flourish to MINDING’S spectacular season. the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes over six furlongs and the QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes over a mile and a half complete the Group 1s on the day.
For more information about QIPCO British Champions Day, please visit britishchampionsday.com or contact joldring@britishchampionsseries.com.
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