In a stunning upset that left the Ascot crowd in stunned silence, the overlooked Anmaat surged to a shocking victory in Saturday’s Champion Stakes under a brilliantly timed ride by Jim Crowley. The 40-1 longshot, sidelined by injury since his Group 1 triumph in France over a year ago, weaved through traffic in the final strides to deny 6-4 favorite Calandagan on the line.
Redemption for Crowley After Baaeed Defeat
For Crowley, the victory offered a measure of redemption after the bitter disappointment of defeat aboard odds-on Baaeed in this race two years prior. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over Baaeed getting beat,” the jockey admitted. “But it’s lovely to finally get a win in the Champion Stakes.”
Finding the Gap
Crowley’s patience and precision were on full display as he deftly navigated through a wall of horses in the final furlong. “I was looking left, right, where can I go? Then at the last minute, I saw the sniff of a gap,” he recounted. “It was an extraordinary performance for him to do what he did.”
Long Layoff No Obstacle
Anmaat’s return to top form was all the more impressive given his 16-month layoff following an injury after winning the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan in 2023. A disappointing run in the Prix Dollar just two weeks ago left his participation at Ascot in doubt. “It was 50-50 at the start of the week whether he was going to run,” Crowley revealed. “Thank God we did, because it showed what we thought he could do.”
Favorites Foiled on Champions Day
While Anmaat’s shock victory proved costly for punters, the favorites did prevail in several other marquee races on British Champions Day. Kyprios justified his 8-11 odds in the Long Distance Cup, with Kalpana and Charyn also scoring as market leaders in the Fillies & Mares Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, respectively.
“He’s got everything, that horse,” winning trainer Roger Varian said of Charyn, who will now retire to stud after winning three Group 1 races this season. “He’s just got such a good mentality for the game, and an engine to go with it.”
As the flat racing season reaches its climax, the Champion Stakes result proves that even the most improbable of upsets remains possible when the world’s top horses clash. For Anmaat and Crowley, it was a day of ultimate vindication, where preparation and perseverance trumped all obstacles.
