Haggas v Appleby and Baaeed v Adayar: a crucial week in the trainers' title race

Although the Flat trainers' championship runs until the end of December, the pivotal action takes place this week at Ascot. Qipco British Champions Day features four Group 1 contests and with the championship decided by prize-money, the £4 million on offer on Saturday means everything is still to play for. We assess the chances of the two leading trainers in the title race . . .

Charlie Appleby

Prize-money: £5,371,490

Winners to runners 129-415, 31 per cent strike-rate

Odds to be champion trainer: 4-6, Sky Bet

Charlie Appleby claimed his first trainers' championship last season and holds a razor-thin advantage in his hunt for a second title.

Last year's success was ushered in by Classic winners Adayar and Hurricane Lane, while Creative Force landed the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes (2.00) in 2021.

This year, Appleby started where he left off, delivering a 2,000 Guineas one-two with Coroebus and Native Trail, landing the Platinum Jubilee with Naval Crown as well as securing a host of top-level triumphs internationally.

The Godolphin trainer may lack a stable star of Baaeed's quality this season but strength in depth has kept him in the race and his team looks ready to come out in force on Champions Day.

Creative Force seeks back-to-back Sprint success, globetrotter Modern Games could make his first start at Ascot and Adayar taking on Baaeed makes Saturday's fixture an unmissable affair.

Key potential runners:

Creative Force, Naval Crown (Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes)
Eternal Pearl (Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes)
Modern Games (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes)
Adayar (Qipco Champion Stakes)

William Haggas

Prize-money: £5,241,050

Winners to runners 139-574, 24 per cent strike-rate

Odds to be champion trainer: Evens, Sky Bet

William Haggas bids for a first Flat trainers' championship and his chances look strong thanks to Baaeed, his unbeaten stable star.

The Shadwell-owned four-year-old, who will retire to stud at the end of the year, has amassed more than £1.6 million prize-money with four Group 1 victories this season.

The success has been a healthy contribution to Haggas's title bid, with the trainer surpassing £5m in total prize-money for the first time in his career.

Pattern victories by Sea La Rosa, Hamish and Sense Of Duty have also contributed to the trainer's prize-money haul, alongside the Melrose victory of Soulcombe.

Many of Haggas's star runners return on Saturday in a bid to ensure championship success and Baaeed could be the one to deliver a crucial blow should he triumph in the Qipco Champion Stakes (4.00).

He will likely be sent off a long odds-on favourite for the Group 1 contest and success in his final career start could cap a stellar season for Haggas.

Key potential runners:

Sea La Rosa (Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes)
Baaeed (Qipco Champion Stakes)
Sweet Believer (Balmoral Handicap)

The Champion Stakes showdown

Britain's richest race could deliver a blockbuster climax to the trainers' championship.

For Haggas, it will be a bittersweet contest as his stable star and the until now unstoppable Baaeed races for the final time.

In the Appleby-trained Adayar, winner of the Derby and King George last year, Baaeed faces arguably his most talented rival yet on his last outing.

The £1.3 million race has a first prize of £737,230, with £279,500 going to the runner-up and £139,880 for third. It could prove a deciding factor as to which Newmarket stable the trainers' championship heads.

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