British Champions Day is rarely short of theatre and Saturday will certainly be no different as Lah Ti Dar, owned by Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber, heads 14 runners le in the Qipco British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes.
The impeccably bred filly (by Dubawi out of Dar Re Mi) won her first three races by an aggregate of more than 19 lengths before meeting defeat for the first time when runner-up to Kew Gardens in the William Hill St Leger last month.
She seemed betrayed by a lack of experience at Town Moor, but kept on strongly to be beaten 2.25 lengths.
Two of the first three home in the QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes last year – Hydrangea and Coronet – remain on course for a rematch.
Like-wise God Given, Horseplay and Pilaster, separated by little in the Group 2 DFS Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster last month.Other intriguing contenders include the Andre Fabre-trained Kitesurf, the Prix Vermeille winner.
Fabre is on the brink of win-ning a 29th French trainers’ title.
WHAT THEY SAY: John Gosden, trainer of Lah Ti Dar and CoronetCoronet: “She’s been desperately unfortunate not to win a Group 1.
She runs into Enable, runs into Waldgeist, who beats her by a nose, then runs into Sea Of Class.
“She’s the most consistent of fi llies – a real trier and a tough cookie. If she doesn’t win on Saturday we’ve got one final Baldrick plan.
There’s the Premio Lydia Tesio in Rome, in November, and we are planning to go and get her a Group 1 before she’s retired to stud.”
Lah Ti Dar: “She’s in super form. I’ve had a lot run in the St Leger over the years and it’s a race that can hit them a bit but I’ve been astounded with how she took it in her stride. It didn’t bother her.
“In the St Leger she sort of got the idea of what she was meant to be doing in the last furlong. She’s still a big, immature filly and Frankie said he was so busy settling her that he sent her to sleep and then could not wake her up again.“I loved the way she finished that day. She was doing her best work in the final furlong.”
And if Coronet and Lah Ti Dar are locked together at the finish… “I’ll go and hide at the bottom of the stands because someone is going to be upset, but I still fear Aidan (O’Brien). He’ll probably have something fly past the lot of them.”
Roger Varian, the trainer of Pilaster “Pilaster’s a lovely filly and improving all the time. She’s in great form and this race has been the target since she ran at Doncaster in the Park Hill.“She’s back in trip, but the way the race was run at Doncaster I’m sure it will be more a test of stamina at Ascot than it was there. I think she’s got the ability to handle herself at a mile and a half.”
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