Abu Dhabi (Etihad)
The UAE stars, the winners of the first category, “Palace Pier”, “Baid” and “Adeeb” lead a strong group of horses participating in the richest day of British horse racing, the British Champions Day race ceremony held at Ascot Racecourse in the United Kingdom, on Saturday, October 16 .
The “Palace Pier” of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, under the supervision of John and Thaddy Gosden, faces an elite of horses in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes for the first category for a mile.
The main contender for the mile champion “Pallas Pierre” is Shadwell’s undefeated “far” pony under the supervision of William Haggas, the three-year-old was not participating at the age of two, but rose to win the Prix de Moulins in the first category.
The race witnesses the return of “The Revenant” to the Emirati Al-Asayel Stables in France, who is seeking to defend his title last year, under the supervision of French coach Francis-Henri Gravard.
Saeed bin Suroor pushes the horse “Ben Batal”, the winner in the last participation, but waits for the weather forecast, while Godolphin’s team pushes the horse “Master of the Seas”, returning from injury after a long absence.
Adeeb faces His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the winner last year, “Adair”, the English derby champion, King George, and “Mushrif” the champion of Jedemont International Stakes, who are among 14 confirmed participation in the Champions Stakes.
Adeeb, coached by William Haggas, won Britain’s first G1 race in the Champion Stakes last year, but has run only three races since then. The seven-year-old returned to Australia to defend both the Ranfit Stakes at Rosehill and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Randwick, and had to settle for runner-up at Ranfitt but managed to defend his title at Queen Elizabeth.
Adeeb made a promising comeback from the break when he finished third over St Marks Basilka and Mishref at the Coral Eclipse race at Sandown in early July, but has missed several engagements since then due to unsuitable ground conditions.
And the jockey Tom Marquand would be riding Adeeb and said: Whether the earth will be entirely in his favour, I cannot see how much it will dry out at this time of year, for the dew in the morning preserves the moisture.
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