Powerful Glory became the biggest priced winner of a top level Flat race at Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot and the eight horse in history to score at the odds
Top jockey Jamie Spencer was ‘lost for words’ after pulling off one of the biggest shocks in Flat racing history at Ascot on Saturday. Qipco British Champions Day is the country’s richest single raceday featuring five Group 1 races.
The Qipco British Champions Sprint had drawn the biggest field of the main prizes with 19 horses lining up for the 6f contest. The favourite for the £560,000 contest was Lazzat, the French challenger who on his previous visit to Ascot captured the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at the royal meeting in June.
The 2-1 chance was produced by jockey James Doyle to make his bid for glory but he got worn down in the dying strides by three-year-old Powerful Glory, at odds of 200-1.
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He became the eighth horse in history to win a race at 200-1, the record set by Equinoctial who won a jumps race at 250-1 in 1990.
The colt, trained by Richard Fahey, had only run four times in his career and was unbeaten in two starts as a two-year-old. He underwent wind surgery in June and on his latest appearance finished last of five in a conditions race at Beverley in September.
Fahey said: “On his first run of the season he made a bit of a noise and we had to give him a tiny bit of tweak to run in this race.
“I had to get a run into him at Beverley. Did I think he’d come here and win? I thought he’d need to be at his best because he is still quite an immature horse.
“It was a Spencer special. I thought Jamie would suit him and get him to relax and leave him alone. I always felt he was going to get there.”
He continued: “Genuinely this was the plan all year. We had a blip halfway through. It’s fantastic, I’m delighted.”
Spencer, a renowned judge of a hold-up horse, has made a habit of landing Group 1 races at huge odds.
He said: “I’m lost for words. He’s a good horse that travelled nicely. I thought I was going to be placed then all of a sudden I actually had a chance.
“It’s a shock really. James is second and he is one of my best friends. It’s disbelief. I doubt I’ve ridden a 200-1 winner. I looked this morning and he was 80-1. Khaadem was 80-1 so I was not without a chance. Days like today make it all worthwhile.”