QIPCO Champion Stakes Entries and Post Positions

The undefeated superstar Frankel will attempt to bring his brilliant career to a spectacular close on Saturday when he heads to post against five others in the prestigious QIPCO Champion Stakes (Eng-I) at Ascot, the highlight of British Champions day card.

Trained by Sir Henry Cecil and owned by Khalid Abdullah, Frankel has won all thirteen of his races, including four group I races this year by a combined margin of nearly thirty lengths. Considered to be one of the greatest horses in the history of thoroughbred horse racing, it would be a perfect conclusion to a perfect career if Frankel is able to add the Champion Stakes to his phenomenal record.

However, his greatest opposition may not be be a mere horse, but rather, Mother Nature. Rain has left the Ascot turf course quite wet -- conditions Frankel has only encountered only once, when he won his debut by a half-length over a colt named Nathaniel. To date, that remains Frankel's smallest margin of victory.

And wouldn't you know it -- one of Frankel's primary opponents on Saturday is Nathaniel. Trained by John Gosden, the four-year-old colt won the Coral-Eclipse Stakes (Eng-I) earlier this year, in addition to claiming the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Eng-I) in 2010. Fifth in the QIPCO Champion Stakes last year, he enters this year's edition off of a close defeat to the top race mare Snow Fairy in the Red Mills Irish Champion Stakes (Ire-I).

Six-year-old gelding Cirrus Des Aigles won this race last year and loves soft going, making him a legitimate threat to steal the glory from Frankel. His last effort, a brilliant nine-length victory in the Prix Dollar (Fr-II) at Longchamp, signals that he is still in terrific form.

Pastorius, winner of the Preis der Deutschen Einheit (Ger-III); Master of Hounds, winner of a group II in Turkey; and Bullet Train, Frankel's pacemaker, round out the field.

QIPCO Champion Stakes (Eng-I)
Ten furlongs on the Ascot turf course

PP	Horse	Jockey	Trainer
1	Cirrus Des Aigles	Olivier Peslier	Corine Barande-Barbe
2	Master of Hounds	Ryan Moore	William Haggas
3	Frankel	Tom Queally	Sir Henry Cecil
4	Bullet Train	Ian Mongan	Sir Henry Cecil
5	Pastorius	Frankie Dettori	Mario Hofer
6	Nathaniel	William Buick	John Gosden

-Keelerman