Charyn (13/8F) secured his third Gr1 prize of the season with a top-class performance in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
The son of Dark Angel moved through the contest like a class act but needed to dig deep when French raider Facteur Cheval threw down a strong challenge entering the final furlong.
Charyn wins the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) (credit: Megan Coggin)
Charyn responded like a champion, finding plenty for Silvestre de Sousa’s urgings to pull away and score by two lengths. Facteur Cheval (11/2) filled the runner-up spot for the second successive year, with Tamfana (7/2) four and a quarter lengths further back in third.
The Roger Varian-trained winner, who is owned by Nurlan Bizakov, was following up victories this season in the Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes and Gr1 Prix Jacques Le Marois.
Varian said: “Charyn is a super horse and that was fantastic. Everything went very smooth, and it was a lovely race to watch. Silvestre got me a bit nervous! He just sat comfortable and you could see the second coming, and then Charyn had to get to work and he showed his battling qualities. He’s got everything, that horse.
“I promise you, he’s got the most amazing constitution. Every time I’ve run him in his life, I’ve thought he was too heavy, because he just holds his condition like no other horse. Touch wood, he’s sound, he loves his work, he loves his racing. He’s just got such a good mentality for the game, and an engine to go with it.
“He recovers from his races so well and takes his training so well. He doesn’t waste any energy at home. He has had a long year, but he doesn’t stress about life. He is under the radar at home. He is not wasting energy doing barn-storming gallops or flashy canters; he is completely cool to the point where you’re not sure, ‘Come on, mate’! But when he gets to the races, he’s completely here, which is why I think he can get through the year like he has done.
“I think it’s already been announced that he will retire at the end of this season. He will be a stallion for Nurlan Bizakov’s stud operation in France. I, of course, would love him to stay in training, but I think that’s not going to be the case. We’ll have to see how he comes out of this race, we might just contemplate one more international run.”
On a turbulent season that included QIPCO 1,000 Guineas success and losing two significant owners in Amo Racing and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, Varian said: “I think the game matches Charyn. It’s a tough game with ups and downs every month and every week but I’ve got great people around me, great people at home, support and some wonderful owners. I am very lucky to train some special horses and you pick yourself up when you take a knock and you get on with it. I could reflect on the year and say yes, it’s had its challenges but it’s been a fantastic year; we’ve got one of the top milers in Europe, if not the world, and we’re housing an English Classic winner amongst plenty of other good stuff, so we’ve had a good year. It’s had its ups and downs but we’re here again in the winner’s enclosure on Champions Day.”
De Sousa said: “Charyn just had a look there at the big screen, but he’s such a good horse and I hope it’s not going to be too long before I sit on something like him again. Roger has done such a great job with this horse, and the whole team at home as well.
“I thought I was in front a bit too soon, but the ground is so wet and, when it’s wet, you can lose momentum if you try and take them back. You just have to sit quiet and I knew that, whatever challenged me in the final furlong, I had plenty left.
“Charyn can do it from fast ground to bottomless ground. He has proved he is a true champion and deserves to be here on a day like this and be favourite in this race. He’s a dream horse. I always thought I would bump into one one day, and he’s the dream.”
Facteur Cheval’s trainer Jerome Reynier said: “You can’t really be frustrated by being beaten by such a big champion like Charyn – he is the number one miler in Europe. Obviously, we beat him last year in the Sussex on testing ground, so we were hoping to be able to do it again, but obviously he has been improving a lot this year and Charyn is just unbeatable. It’s like a victory to be second and Facteur Cheval is so consistent – he never lets you down and is a dream horse.”
Oisin Murphy said of Tamfana: “Huge effort from her. It was different ground to what she’s faced before, but she’s only been beaten by colts and it’s a long way back to the rest of them. I am looking forward to next year with her.”
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) (Group 1)
1 Charyn (Nurlan Bizakov) Roger Varian 4-9-06 Silvestre de Sousa 13/8F
2 Facteur Cheval (Team Valor International LLC & Gary Barber) 5-9-06 11/2
3 Tamfana (Quantum Leap Racing VIII & Friends) David Menuisier 3-9-00 Oisin Murphy 7/2
12 ran
Roger Varian – 5th winner on QIPCO British Champions Day
Silvestre de Sousa – 3rd winner on QIPCO British Champions Day
