Champions crowned in the UK as Anamoe seeks Cox Plate coronation

Another highly productive UK championship reached its conclusion on British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday, with Godolphin recording a 15th owners’ title and retained jockey William Buick receiving the Champion Jockey trophy for the first time.

Godolphin horses won 139 races and amassed prize money of nearly £7m during the championship, which ran from the end of April, with William Buick finishing 66 winners clear of his nearest rival in the jockey standings.

The UK Trainers' Championship is decided on prize money won during the calendar year and Charlie Appleby currently holds a slight advantage as he looks to retain his title and provide Godolphin with a second owner/trainer/jockey clean sweep following 2004.

In what looks set to be a landmark year for Godolphin, Dubawi is on course to be crowned Champion Sire in the UK and Ireland for the first time.

There were several commendable Godolphin performances on Champions Day itself, with Adayar returning to his peak form as he went down by half a length to Bay Bridge in the Champion Stakes.

Modern Games also filled the runner-up spot on ground softer than ideal in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, while Creative Force produced another excellent performance at his favourite course when taking third in the British Champions Sprint.

Both horses look set to head out to Keeneland for the Breeders’ Cup next month. Cascadian has looked better than ever this year in Australia and the veteran French import collected back-to-back victories at Randwick on Saturday, this time readily taking out the G3 Craven Plate.

The son of New Approach has already scored twice in G1 company and could bid for a third top-level victory in the Champions Mile on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Vilana gained a bumper payday on the same Randwick card with a decisive win in the AUS$1m Silver Eagle, setting up a tilt at the AUS$10m Golden Eagle in two weeks’ time – a race won by Colette in 2020.

All eyes will be on Anamoe this week as he looks to avenge a short-head defeat in last year’s Cox Plate. The Street Boss colt returns to Moonee Valley on the back of a faultless start to his four-year-old campaign that has produced three G1 wins already.

Recent Schillaci Stakes victor Paulele is also set to run at the Valley on Friday night when he goes for a breakthrough G1 success in the Manikato Stakes