CHAMPIONS DAY has time and again produced moments of magic.
We look at five of the most memorable performances from the Berkshire track’s curtain closer.
Muhaarar – Champions Sprint
It was almost as if Dayjur had come again when Muharrar blitzed his opposition in the 2015 Champions Sprint.
The famous blue and white silks flew away from a field that included former winners Maarek and Gordon Lord Byron, as well as subsequent winner The Tin Man and the previously unbeaten Twilight Son.
Visually he couldn’t have been more impressive.
Quickening up at the 2f pole he left the field trailing in his wake, his turn of foot far too potent for his rivals.
Only Twilight Son looked capable of getting anywhere near him and at the line he was over three lengths clear of the rest.
The memorable victory took his tally of Group 1 wins to four on the bounce, confirming his status as the finest sprinter of his generation.
Cracksman – Champion Stakes
Had the ground been bottomless all season round, there’s little doubt Cracksman would be the greatest horse for many a year.
His ability to pound rivals into submission on ground worse than good never ceased to amaze, and his efforts in both the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Champion Stakes resulted in two of the most impressive wins ever seen in the race.
His first victory in particular, when he thrashed King George hero Poet’s Word by seven lengths, was remarkable for its sheer dominance.
There’s little doubt he was nigh on unbeatable in the mud and he most certainly deserves his place at the upper end of the Champion Stakes roll of honour.
Raven’s Pass – QEII
The serially underrated Raven’s Pass would go on to Breeders’ Cup Classic victory, but it was arguably in the QEII that he had his finest hour.
He and Henrythenavigator had a rivalry more intense than Sunderland and Newcastle, and although Aidan O’Brien’s miler came out on top in their first three meetings, it was John Gosden’s three-year-old who got the better of the argument as the year went on.
Lining up in the QEII as only the third favourite, Raven’s Pass surpassed his old rival in style, producing a powerful turn of gas that saw him end the year as the world’s top miler.
He may not be remembered as an all-time great, but on that day on the Berkshire turf there were few who could have beaten him.
Frankel – Champion Stakes
It would be blasphemous not to include a segment on the greatest racehorse of all time.
Many agreed Sir Henry Cecil’s superstar would face his toughest test in the final race of his career, with the opposing Cirrus Des Aigles a proven class act.
The French flyer had won the previous year’s edition of the race and, although Frankel was sent off at 2-11, the stage was set for a fierce showdown.
Indeed, the fact Frankel missed the break for the first time in his career hardly helped his cause and he immediately found himself five lengths adrift of the field.
Having to make his challenge wide and from the rear, the son of Galileo looked in trouble for the briefest of moments – before he left them for dead.
Cirrus Des Aigles tried gallantly to keep up but in the end he was seen off like so many others had been in the past.
Frankel marked his name in the history books and remains one of the few Group 1 horses to remain undefeated.
Rite Of Passage – Long Distance Cup
Dermot Weld’s star stayer brought classy credentials to the Flat game.
Beginning his career with fine thirds in both the Champion Bumper and Neptune Investment Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, the son of Giant’s Causeway was always expected to make a splash on the level.
And he did just that.
On only his second start on the Flat he got the better of 11 rivals in the Ascot Gold Cup, driving down the outside to get up by a neck.
He then went to Leopardstown for the Saval Beg, where he ran a big race to finish third, before returning to Ascot for one final time in the Long Distance Cup.
Sent off at 8-1, Pat Smullen’s mount weaved his way through the field at alarming speed, his superior staying ability propelling him to the front in the final furlong.
He got up in the shadows of the post to deny John Gosden’s Aiken, and in doing so proved himself one of the most versatile and talented stayers of this century.