Long Distance Cup Tips: King Kyprios To Reign Once More

The mighty Kyprios has his swansong on what has been a marvellous 2024 on Saturday as Ascot and Champions Day kicks off with a bang with the Long Distance Cup. While there is a stacked field in behind him, Billy Grimshaw will not have him beat and has made the case here...

Line them up, he knocks them down. That has been the story for the vast majority of the mighty KYPRIOS'S career, with his main rival seemingly being himself and being kept race fit. There has been discussion across the racing media on where this horse ranks in the pantheon of great stayers and while I am far more novicey than many pundits giving their 10 cents worth, he is the greatest I have seen at a truly conscious age. Yeats is widely regarded as Aidan O'Brien's best and there are some who still think Stradivarius was better at his peak, but not for me.

Clearly then, I will be backing the odds-on favourite to kick off a soft ground Champions Day at Ascot. Gulp. This is a special stayer, however, and while he does face off again with a fresher Trawlerman - the horse who beat him a neck in this race last year and has pushed him closest of all in 2024, I cannot be against Ryan Moore's ride making it a magnificent seven out of seven in 2024. He has everything you could want in a star stayer and while we are yet to see him put in a performance as visually stunning as his 2022 Prix du Cadran at Longchamp again (when he switched all the way across the track yet still won the race by over 20 lengths) and I don't expect to see that here, I do think he is the one they've all got to beat.

Trawlerman will be many people's idea of the chief threat, however I'm more inclined to put last year's win over Kyprios down to the brilliance of the man in the saddle, the king of Ascot himself Frankie Dettori. The Italian won't be here to aid Trawlerman on Saturday and I actually fancy his stablemate Sweet William, who is a known mudlark, to be the one to chase Kyprios home.

Kyprios is yet to add this title to his glittering CV but with the best trainer in the world behind him and now being a six year old and nearing peak physical maturity, I can't see this race being a bridge too far for him given Aidan has given the greenlight. He is versatile when it comes to tactics - although I expect stablemate and Irish Cesarewitch winner The Euphrates to give him a strong pace to aim at - and whatever Ascot or his rivals throw at him, he should have enough class to win. The Euphrates may well be one to throw in a forecast behind Kyprios as he gets weight all round as a three year old and is clearly improving judging by his smashing winning run last time out.

Al Nayyir is another interesting contender as he has improved plenty for Tom Clover since transferring over from France, finishing just a short head behind Melbourne Cup contender Vauban in the Lonsdale Cup at York before sauntering to Listed success at Newmarket last time out.  He's won on soft in France before as well as that Newmarket win being also run in the mud so he is not one to rule out, albeit I don't see him being able to keep up with Kyprios.

If looking for one at a massive price to play each-way, I was a fan of Burdett Road for James Owen earlier in the season and indeed put him up for the Ebor, a race in which he massively flopped. Perhaps that just wasn't his cup of tea or maybe he wasn't right in that stage of the season - he could well go hurdling again after all so Owen will have to be minding him - but what he showed when springing a 10/1 surprise last time at Newmarket to bolt up by over 8 lengths was much more like it. This is a good deal tougher but I've always thought he looked a classy sort and who knows, he could sneak into third here.