Champions Sprint Preview: Division Can Take On Almeraq

The British Champions Sprint Stakes is the race to kick off the big Group 1s on Champions Day at Ascot. Sixteen runners go to post at 2.05pm over six furlongs on ground that is good.

Almeraq is a short-priced favourite at around 6/5 and he is a deserved one, but I am not ready to give him the race on a plate. I think one of his stablemates is the one to be on at ten times the price.

It is easy to see why Almeraq is the one to beat. William Haggas's four-year-old is the top-rated sprinter in the field on 123 and he has won the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Sprint Cup at Haydock, where he put the race to bed by around four and a quarter lengths on very soft ground. He fell at York last year but he has bounced back brilliantly, and his trainer says he is in really good shape.

The one blot on the copybook this year is his run in the July Cup. His trainer has put that down to the draw, but it does mean he has a poor run on his record this season. At 6/5 in a 16-runner Group 1 I am happy to look elsewhere. The Haggas team have three runners in all, with Binhareer the other at 50/1.

DIVISION is my selection at 10/1. The three-year-old is also trained by Haggas and he is rated 117, which makes him one of the highest-rated of the three-year-olds. His form figures of 323524 are not eye-catching, but a lot of that has been down to bad luck. His connections have said he has been drawn on the wing again and again this year, and Haggas has warned against dismissing him on the bare form.

The main thing is that he wants good, fast ground, and that is what he is going to get at Ascot. James Doyle takes over in the saddle for Wathnan Racing and I think the booking is an interesting one. If he gets a better draw than he has done, I think he has a huge amount going for him at this price.

Of the rest, Samangan is another Group 1 winner after the Prix Maurice de Gheest and he is rated 118 for Francis-Henri Graffard. He is 11/1 and has to be respected. Kind Of Blue is the 2024 winner and is back on a high after a win at Kempton last time, while Coppull is also 10/1 and rated 115.

Paborus chased Almeraq home at Haydock and runs for the same Wathnan Racing team as Kind Of Blue and DIVISION, so it is a big day for the owners. I am happy to take 10/1 about DIVISION to win, as I think the favourite is a fraction too short.