O'Brien withdraws Gold Cup winner from Champions Day
Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 10:44 · Archive
Trainer Aidan O'Brien has withdrawn his Gold Cup winner Scandinavia from the Long Distance Cup at Ascot's Champions Day on Saturday.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien has withdrawn Scandinavia, the favourite for the Long Distance Cup at Ascot's Champions Day on Saturday. O'Brien said he wanted to keep the Gold Cup winner fresh ahead of next year's Ascot Gold Cup, citing rain in the forecast as another factor in his decision. He will run Queenstown and Amelia Earhart in the Long Distance Cup instead.
O'Brien made further changes to his Champions Day plans on Saturday. He will keep Gstaad in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile and Constitution River in the 10-furlong Champion Stakes. This represents a reversal of his earlier plans: on Monday, O'Brien had paid £70,000 to supplement Constitution River into the QEII, saying at the time "we think we might have been doing the wrong thing" with his distance assignments.
O'Brien explained that moving Gstaad into the Champion Stakes at 10 furlongs for his first time at the distance would be unfair against older, seasoned horses. He said the mile at Ascot would suit Gstaad better, having been happy with his previous runs over that distance. Ryan Moore will ride Gstaad, with Colin Keane aboard Hawk Mountain in the same race.
How it is being reported
- Aidan O'Brien u-turns on £70,000 entry to make last minute Champions Day switchAidan O'Brien has reshuffled his Qatar Racing Champions Day plans at Ascot, with Gstaad set to remain over a mile in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, while Constitution River will stick to 10 furlongs for the Champion StakesMirror Sport · 15 Oct, 10:26
- Aidan O’Brien reveals picks for Champions Day with shock omissionGold Cup winner Scandinavia will not race in the Long Distance Cup at Ascot this weekendIndependent Sport · 15 Oct, 08:08
In this story: Aidan O'Brien · Scandinavia · Ascot · Queenstown · Amelia Earhart · Gstaad · Constitution River
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