Matt Chapman: My 7/1 fancy Lord Glitters can sparkle on Champions Day

David O'Meara's course winner is at home on soft ground.

Matt Chapman Cheltenham

Oisin Murphy will be crowned champion jockey of Great Britain on Saturday and he thoroughly deserves it after a stellar season. It’s also Champions Day at Ascot and there’s six ITV races for him to showcase his talents and us to get stuck into.
We start at 13.35 with the Group 1 Champions Sprint over 6f.

I’m all over ONE MASTER here as a cracking each-way bet. The mare, trained by William Haggas, was a decent winner of the Prix de la Foret last time in France and was not far off scoring in the Breeders’ Cup Mile last year. She’s really good and although this trip is obviously short enough for her, she’s got every chance of hitting the frame at the very least.

Hope she thrusts home late.

Scoot over to PaddyPower.com now for all the latest racing odds

Next up is the Group 2 Champions Long Distance Cup over nearly 2m at 14.10. No surprises here with STRADIVARIUS the selection. He is the outstanding stayer of the season for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori and the opposition does not look hot. Mekong might be one to risk for a few quid each-way at big prices as he’s very slow and will just stay on!

It’s the Group 1 Champions Fillies’ and Mares’ over nearly 1m 4f at 14.45 and STAR CATCHER should have taken on Enable in the Arc, but being a stablemate of the great mare, she didn’t so. The Vermeille and Irish Oaks winner has improved all season and should take this for the Gosden and Dettori combo once again.

She looks very hard to beat.

Frankie-Dettori

We roll onto the Group 1 QEII over 1m at 15.20. This is tricky with Magna Grecia hard to weigh up after flopping in the Irish Guineas, after being a decent victor in the same event at Newmarket.

In the conditions I will take the Queen Anne hero LORD GLITTERS as an each-way bet. He handles the soft for trainer David O’Meara and he should finish off strongly at a track he loves. Only sixth in this last year, but can improve on that effort on different ground.

The penultimate race on the card is the Group 1 Champion Stakes over 1m 2f at 16.00. Not a great renewal and MAGICAL is the one to beat for Aidan O’Brien and his son Donnacha. Ultra consistent, the tough mare was fifth in the Arc when last seen, but is arguably better over this two-furlong shorter trip. The Eclipse second is a very fair bet.

We round of a pulsating day’s racing a the tough Balmoral Handicap handicap over 1m at 16.40. A wide-open heat, but the consistent ESCOBAR is gearing up for a win and should give us an each-way run at double-digit odds, in a race where Paddy is paying a massive 6 places online.

He stays well and goes with juice in the ground.

He might not be the best handicapped horse in the race where the Cambridgeshire winner Lord North and the unexposed Amedeo Modligliani head the market – but has every chance of hitting the 6 places at least.

You hear me Paddy?

*Prices correct at time of publishing 

Scoot over to PaddyPower.com now for all the latest racing odds