George Baker could be in line for another productive Champions Day following the news that he has been handed the ride on Al Kazeem in the big race at Ascot on Saturday. The horse, a triple Group One winner, is normally partnered by James Doyle but he will be required to ride Noble Mission for Khalid Abdulla on this occasion.
Al Kazeem’s participation in Saturday’s Champion Stakes was in doubt last week after he finished in midfield in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe but on Monday his owner, John Deer, committed his horse to the race, saying: “If everything is fine with his bloods and things, we’ll have a go.”
“I would think he’ll be fine on the ground. He won a Group Two at Newmarket in testing conditions and he’s a big, strong horse. George Baker would ride. He knows the horse very well, won on him at Windsor in August and has ridden him on the gallops lots of times.
“I thought he ran very well [in the Arc]. Unfortunately, he lost his position in mid-race and lost two or three lengths and it’s pretty difficult to make that up. But for that, he might have finished closer. I think things look pretty good for a place [on Saturday]. There’ll be no complaints anyway.”
Baker’s skills are generally admired, though his opportunities are limited by his height and weight, and also he does not ride below nine stone. Last year’s Champions Day became a significant one in his career when he won the Fillies’ & Mares race on Seal Of Approval, his first Group One success.
The jockey will be aboard the mare once more as she seeks to repeat that victory. He has also been booked for the unbeaten Lightning Moon in the Sprint and in the Long Distance Cup for Biographer, who produced his best effort of the year when Baker rode him for the first time last month.
Free Eagle, the second-favourite for the Champion Stakes, is not a certain runner according to his trainer, Dermot Weld. Quoted by the broadcaster Matt Chapman, Weld said: “Free Eagle will be declared and will travel over to Ascot and be stabled there. We have the intention to run but nothing will be decided until I have walked the course Saturday morning.” Weld said later that he was hoping for the surface to dry out somewhat.
Betfred reported that Free Eagle was “easy to back” and moved him out to 3-1 from 5-2. The going at Ascot was changed to “heavy” all round on Tuesday , having been soft in places on Monday, and track officials reported there had been a total of 42mm of rainfall there in the previous 48 hours.
There is no doubt about the ability of Cirrus Des Aigles to cope with such conditions and he tightened as Champion Stakes favourite from 13-8 to a best price of 6-4. His trainer, Corine Barande-Barbe, declared herself pleased with his condition since his race on Arc weekend and said: “I think he’s on his way to being at his peak on Saturday.”
Barande-Barbe has kept up to date with news of the various big names who have dropped out of the race in recent days but resisted all temptation to be gleeful about it. “There’s still some strong horses in there. Noble Mission, he’s a good horse. It’s never easy.”
Andrea Atzeni is expected to be fit in time to take his Champions Day rides, despite having given up his mounts on Tuesday because of continuing pain from a fall at Windsor on Monday. “His knee was still a bit sore,” said Atzeni’s agent, Paul Clarke, who added that the jockey should be back riding on Wednesday.
