Balmoral Handicap (sponsored By Qipco)
(British Champions Series)
Handicap, Ascot 16:40
£200,000 guaranteed,
3yo plus, 1m, Class 2   
Saturday 18th October 2025

BetPlay

1 Crown Of Oaks 5/1
2 Holloway Boy 16/1
3 Ebt's Guard 10/1
4 Shout 6/1
20 ran Distances: nk, dht, 1½l
Time: 1m 39.43s (slow by 0.53s)

The curtain came down on QIPCO British Champions Day with a performance of grit and polish from Crown Of Oaks, who made virtually all to seal a second Ascot triumph of the season in the blue and white of Tony Bloom, owner of Brighton & Hove Albion.

Already an emphatic winner over course and distance last month, the William Haggas-trained three-year-old returned to the Berkshire stage burdened with a 14lb higher mark, having run a fine third in a rich handicap on Irish Champions Weekend. But class often tells — and so it did again.

From the moment the gates opened, Tom Marquand had Crown Of Oaks in his comfort zone — rolling along near the rail, ears pricked, rhythm fluent. As the field fanned out and challengers loomed two furlongs from home, the chestnut kept finding. One came, then another, but none could quite get by. Ebt’s Guard and Holloway Boy threw down their challenges inside the final 100 yards, yet Crown Of Oaks kept pulling out more, clinging on gamely in a tight three-way finish, with Shout close behind in fourth.

A victory forged in front, and one that spoke of a horse on the rise.

Haggas was both pleased and puzzled by the race’s shape:

“It was bizarre that they all came over to the near side. Crown Of Oaks has done nothing wrong and is a talented horse; he ran very well as a two-year-old and I don’t know how he got beaten at Redcar in a novice race, but he has come good and made up for it. I guess he will be going up again in the handicap. He won’t probably run again this year but we may have higher aspirations next year. We will see how he goes.”

There was satisfaction too from Maureen Haggas, who knows the gelding well:

“Crown Of Oaks needs to relax. He got in a good rhythm and just kept going. I think in an ideal world he wants a bit further, but this is a good pot to aim at. He is a talented horse and I think will be a nice horse for next year. He has taken a while to find his feet this year and we’ve taken a while to learn about him and gelding him has helped.”

For Tom Marquand, it was the perfect bookend to a long afternoon in the saddle — patience rewarded at the very last:

“I thought I might manage to pinch a winner earlier in the day to be perfectly honest, but I will take the last! Crown Of Oaks was really good for me there. He found a beautiful rhythm up in front. He was back down to the mile, so I was always confident that he would see out that last furlong well, but he needed every bit of grit and determination to get him through. He is the epitome of what Somerville Lodge and William do best, they get horses to start progressing and find their legs. He is really starting to find himself and hopefully he can be a fun horse for the future.”

Asked about the colt’s ideal trip, Marquand weighed it with typical balance:

“I would say he is one where circumstances are probably the biggest thing. Ascot, autumn ground – I know it’s not really soft, but it’s just that little bit testing – the mile is fine. Equally, when the ground is a bit quicker on a sharp track, he can go back up to 10 furlongs and you know full well that he’s going to see it out.

“Once you’re winning off those sorts of handicap marks [rated 99], you can start looking at Pattern company and the possibilities of travelling. It is no secret that William and the team love sending horses down to Australia, whether he is a candidate for that… possibly. Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy, his owners, don’t mind a trip down there as well. There’s plenty of doors ajar for him at the moment, it’s just a case of seeing which one we want to step through with him.”

And so, under the lengthening autumn shadows, Crown Of Oaks made all the right moves — brave in front, polished in stride, and full of promise for what’s to come.

BoyleSports

Balmoral Handicap (sponsored By Qipco)
£200,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 1m, Class 2
20 ran
Going: Good

POS. (DRAW) FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (23)    Crown Of Oaks 3 8-12 William Haggas Tom Marquand 5/1
2 (2) nk Holloway Boy 5 9-12 K R Burke Clifford Lee 16/1
3 (1) dht Ebt's Guard 4 9-4 William Muir & Chris Grassick Lewis Edmunds 10/1
4 (14) 1½ Shout 3 8-13 Simon & Ed Crisford Oisin Murphy 6/1
5 (8) nk Native Warrior 4 9-11 6ex K R Burke James Doyle 4/1F
6 (3) 2 Bopedro 9 8-10 David O'Meara Mark Winn 22/1
7 (10) nk Tribal Chief 4 8-10 David Menuisier Sean Levey 16/1
8 (9) nse Orandi 7 8-12 A J Martin David Egan 28/1
9 (22) nk Oliver Show 5 8-12 George Boughey Billy Loughnane 22/1
10 (6) nse Theoryofeverything 5 8-12 David O'Meara Jason Watson 33/1
11 (20) 1 Greek Order 5 8-12 Michael Bell Jack Callan 25/1
12 (19) ¾ Godwinson 5 9-5 William Haggas Cieren Fallon 25/1
13 (5) hd Cerulean Bay 4 9-3 6ex David O'Meara Daniel Tudhope 9/1
14 (7) 1 Great Acclaim 4 9-2 Eve Johnson Houghton Charles Bishop 25/1
15 (13) nk Bobby Bennu 4 8-11 Roger Varian Ray Dawson 22/1
16 (11) ½ Fifth Column 3 9-1 John & Thady Gosden William Buick 12/1
17 (21) ¾ Hafeet Alain 9 9-0 Ed Walker Ashley Lewis 50/1
18 (4) hd Arisaig 4 9-1 Charlie Johnston Jamie Spencer 14/1
19 (18) 1¼ Witch Hunter 6 9-5 6ex Richard Hannon Joe Leavy 28/1
20 (17) 1½ Golden Mind 4 9-2 Richard Fahey Warren Fentiman 33/1