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British Champions Day
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Peerless pair Gosden and Dettori set Champions Day alight

Frankie Dettori raises his whip in triumph passing the post in the Champion Stakes
Hand in the air: Frankie Dettori waves his whip after Cracksman's Champion Stakes winCredit: Mark Cranham

If you call it Champions Day then what the doctor ordered is a champion. At Ascot on Saturday Cracksman filled that prescription when pulverising his rivals by seven thumpingly emphatic lengths, establishing himself as the best three-year-old colt of 2017 and sending the sort of tremor through this crowd only real exhilaration can bring.

A cracksman is a one of those characters who makes a living by emptying safes. Other people’s that is.

In the old days, a spot of gelignite and a decent set of eardrums were the tools of the trade and Cracksman, living up to his name, simply blew the Champions Stakes apart. And the roar of approbation and acclamation as he bolted clear under Ascot’s standing dish Frankie Dettori was both deafening and richly deserved.

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Published on inBritish Champions Day

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