Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Lord North appeals
LORD North could be the value call in what looks a mouthwatering renewal of the Champion Stakes at Ascot.
The most likely winner of the ten-furlong showpiece is the defending champion Magical, who has enjoyed an excellent campaign, and there was no fluke about her defeat of highlyrated Ghaiyyath when landing a second Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown last month.
However, the brilliant mare’s odds are skinny enough in such a competitive event – and the temptation is to look elsewhere.
Lord North actually appears the second string of two runners for John Gosden, with Frankie Dettori partnering French Derby winner Mishriff.
However, people can have short memories in racing, and it was only four months ago that Lord North landed the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at the Royal meeting over course and distance.
The five-year-old has run just once since, finishing third behind Ghaiyyath and Magical in the Juddmonte International at York in August.
Lord North has little over a length to find with the latter on that form – and returning to a track where we know he excels, it is not difficult to imagine him turning the tables.
Gosden also has excellent claims of landing the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes with the hitherto unbeaten Palace Pier – but odds-on, he makes little appeal from a betting viewpoint.
A more attractive proposition is the Aidan O’Brien-trained Circus Maximus, who is two from two at Ascot, having won the St James’s Palace Stakes on the round course and the Queen Anne over this straight mile.
Stradivarius is likely to be a class apart from his rivals in the Long Distance Cup. The triple Gold Cup hero is five from seven at Ascot overall, his two defeats coming in this race in 2017 and 12 months ago when beaten a length and a nose respectively. After his Arc run, he will be more at home back over two miles on home soil.