50 years after Ali v Frazier, Gosden and O'Brien provide racing with its own Thrilla in Manila - and there's even a bit of needle too

This month marked the 50th anniversary of the 'Thrilla in Manila', one of boxing's legendary fights and the third instalment in arguably its most famous rivalry between two greats in Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Half a century later it still makes for brutal viewing, with enormous damage inflicted by two heavyweights who had made no secret of their dislike for one another.

It is highly unlikely to draw the same global audience, and Ascot is a long way from the Philippines, but on Saturday racing fans can look forward to the third instalment of a rivalry of their own, with Ombudsman and Delacroix set to meet again in the Champion Stakes.

The first round went the way of Delacroix, who nabbed Godolphin's Ombudsman late on in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown under Ryan Moore, who said he had to change the plan a few times during a tactical affair. Ombudsman then evened the score when powering home in a bizarre Juddmonte International which at one point looked like being won by his 150-1 pacemaker Birr Castle, who had been supplemented to provide an even pace.