QIPCO British Champions Day 2012 Media Guide - Ascot Racecourse

The £250,000 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes*
Dancing Rain, victorious in this race last year as well as in the Investec Oaks (G.1) and the
German Oaks (G.1), is on target to defend her crown in her first race of the season having been
sidelined with injury since early in the year.
Liam Norris, who purchased Dancing Rain and oversees the racing interests of owners Martin
and Lee Taylor, revealed on 3 October: "The QIPCO British
Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes is where we want to go with
Dancing Rain and she is on target for the race.
"She had two small chips removed from both front fetlock joints
earlier in the season. She came back to me after that and we
nursed her back through. She did really well.
"She looks fantastic now and is a big, strong filly - much bigger than she was last year. She is in
good form now and we are keeping everything crossed that we will have her at Ascot on
October 20.”
She could lock horns with this year’s Investec Oaks (G.1) winner, Was, and the runner-up,
Shirocco Star, as well as the Irish Oaks (G.1) winner, Great Heavens, who was a good sixth in
the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G.1) on her most recent start.
Solemia, dramatic winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G.1) and Ridasiyna, the Prix de
l’Opera (G.1) winner on the same card, are both entered for France as is the impressive course
and distance winner Princess Highway from Ireland, who bolted up in the Ribblesdale Stakes
(G.2) at Royal Ascot.
Another French entry is Dalkala, who narrowly beat Shirocco Star in the Prix de Royalieu (G.2)
at Longchamp on Arc weekend.
I’m A Dreamer, winner of the Beverly D. Stakes (G.1) at Arlington Park in the USA in August, is
engaged, as is Wild Coco, the impressive winner of a Group 3 and a Group 2 on her last two
starts.
*as well as £141,775 in first place prize money, the winning connections will also receive a free
nomination to the stallion Makfi courtesy of the sponsors QIPCO, who stand the horse under the
Qatar Bloodstock banner at Tweenhills Stud. The nomination is worth £25,000.
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