Sheikhzayedroad takes pride of place among Ascot performers
It's in the nature of a fixture like Champions Day that some notable triumphs were overshadowed by the dazzling victories of Almanzor and Minding on Saturday. The merely very good is destined to be lost when surrounded by brilliance.
It was a Champions Day fully befitting the description, enhanced to a significant degree by a dry autumn that yielded ground better suited to Flat racing than was true of most of June. Much of Royal Ascot unfolded on an easy surface, which doubtless played its part in keeping many of the winners out of the limelight on Saturday.
The current trend for clustering together so many top-class races started with the inaugural Breeders' Cup day in 1984. It has obvious selling points but the limited exposure given to the so-called 'supporting acts' is distinctly unworthy of Sheikhzayedroad, The Tin Man and Journey, winners respectively of the Long Distance Cup, Sprint and Fillies & Mares.
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