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Owen Burrows’ Anmaat caused a sizeable shock when flying late to claim the Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot.
In a contest billed as a two-horse race between William Haggas' Irish Champion Stakes hero Economics and Juddmonte International runner-up Calandagan, Anmaat was sent off a staggering 40/1 just two weeks after finishing a well-beaten fifth in the Group 2 Qatar Prix Dollar at Longchamp on Arc weekend.
After a ground-saving ride from Stephane Pasquier in what proved a messy Champion Stakes, Calandagan struck the front to lead inside the final furlong. Another successful British raid for the French-based trainer Francis-Henri Graffard looked on the cards at that point, but the complexion of the contest quickly changed, as Anmaat, who had suffered considerable traffic problems up the Ascot straight, emerged late on the scene under Jim Crowley.
The Shadwell-owned gelding picked up with aplomb to grab the initiative off the 6/4 market leader deep inside the final furlong before going on to score by a snug half-a-length. Calandagan stuck to his task well in second, while Royal Rhyme bettered his fifth-place finish in last year's renewal by coming home two and a quarter-lengths behind the winner in third.
Economics briefly struck the front as he bid to extend his winning sequence to five this season, but he failed to produce the finishing kick that was required to get involved at the business end and was ultimately well-held in sixth.
"To be honest, I put my binoculars down halfway up the straight, I thought, we've got no chance there!" said Burrows. "Then I thought he was getting a bit of room, and he was going to be placed, and then to pick up like he did in that ground… as Jim said, all the time he was locked up, he was actually filling up – again, it sometimes works in your favour! But you do need the luck then to get through and get the gap, which worked out."
It was a second Group 1 success for Anmaat following his narrow victory in the Prix d'Ispahan in France last year and one that confirmed a masterful training performance by Owen Burrows, who has nursed the six-year-old back to his best after he suffered a career-threatening injury last season.
Burrows added: "I know it sounds easy afterwards but last year after he won his Group 1 in France, I did really fancy him for the Eclipse. He had a very complex foot injury which took a long time to come right."
"I was convinced he'd beat Paddington in the Eclipse last year, but he went wrong the day before," said Crowley, who was enjoying his first top-level win of the season. "It's great to get him back. It's been a slow year; we haven't had the firepower we've had in the last so winners like this aren't so easy to come by so it's very special."
On how the race panned out for him, Crowley commented: "I had a lovely position going round but unfortunately the horses I was tracking, they were good horses, but they cut out turning in and I just had nowhere to go. In fairness to the horse, once he got that gap he went!"
Much to the annoyance of trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, Calandagan once again had to settle for the silver medal spot.
Graffard said: "Second again - I am so upset! We had a very difficult draw, and on that ground, this horse made too much effort. But we had a very good race; he quickened clear, and I thought the race was won for us. Then he got caught on the line, so another second! Yes, he will stay in training next year."
On Economics' disappointing performance, Haggas commented: "Disappointing obviously. Tom felt the ground was a bit soft for him, but I said I wouldn't use that as an excuse so I'm not going to. He's fine. There's a little blood in his nose so we'll sort that out."
