With the 2026 season almost at its end, last week saw the home of the Flat step into the spotlight with the two-day Future Champions’ Festival. As ever, the Group 1 duo of the bet365 Fillies’ Mile and Darley Dewhurst Stakes took centre stage, with leading contenders from the Coolmore and Godolphin juggernauts stating their 2027 Classic case. Both operations had reason to celebrate at the end of the fixture, with the boys in blue taking the fillies’ event and Coolmore claiming the colts’ contest.
Elsewhere at the Future Champions’ Festival, the signature handicap produced a notable result as Irish raider Alphonse Le Grande became only the second horse in history to win the marathon affair for a second time. Earlier in the week, Ryan Moore and Shergar were announced as the latest inductees to the British Racing Hall of Fame.
Musical Strikes the Right Note in Fillies’ Mile
| Pos | Horse | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Musical Times | 4/9 F | Charlie Appleby | William Buick |
| 2nd | Haven | 28/1 | A P O’Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 3rd | Forbidden Fire | 8/1 | Andrew Balding | Oisin Murphy |
Godolphin appeared to hold the aces in the pack for the 2026 editions of the bet365 Fillies’ Mile and Darley Dewhurst Stakes. Both unbeaten, the Lope De Vega filly Musical Times and Frankel colt Desert Castle started as the odds-on favourites for their respective assignments.
Musical Times was up first in the Friday feature. Arriving with a perfect three-for-three record, including a 7½-length stroll in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes, she started as the red-hot 4/9 favourite. Lying in wait among the opposition were the Aidan O’Brien duo of Haven and Exceptionally, Andrew Balding’s unbeaten filly Forbidden Fire, and Ed Bethell’s hat-trick-seeking Rogue Passion.
Once underway, nothing went right for Musical Times. With the field shifting to the stands-side rail, rider William Buick immediately found himself trapped in a pocket, with runners to his outside and a pacemaker directly ahead. For much of the contest, it looked like Buick might never get his mount into the clear.
However, when the gap appeared, Musical Times wasted little time displaying her class. Having enjoyed a clear passage, Haven held the advantage into the dip, but Musical Times was beginning to motor to her outside. Hitting the front, the favourite went to score by a cosy length. William Buick accurately summed up this performance when stating, “They’ve done their best to get her beat, but couldn’t.” 9/2 before the race, Musical Times is now as short as 5/2 for the 2027 1,000 Guineas.
Unbeaten Castle Falls to Darkness
| Pos | Horse | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Darkness Falls | 6/4 | A P O’Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 2nd | Desert Castle | 10/11 F | Charlie Appleby | William Buick |
| 3rd | Great Barrier Reef | 15/2 | A P O’Brien | Wayne Lordan |
With the first leg in the bag, Desert Castle looked to complete a Group 1 double for the boys in blue in the Dewhurst Stakes. Unbeaten in his two previous starts, including an easy win in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes, he arrived with a similar profile to Musical Times. However, he faced a formidable Irish foe. Following an impressive win in the Golden Fleece Stakes over 1m1f, Aidan O’Brien’s Darkness Falls headed to HQ as the only Group 1 winner in the five-runner field. The drop to 7f posed a question, but the second favourite looked dangerous with Ryan Moore in the saddle.
As the market predicted, the race boiled down to a battle between 10/11 chance Desert Castle and 6/4 shot Darkness Falls. Try as he might, the Godolphin runner couldn’t overhaul the Irish challenger on the run to the line. Having raced prominently throughout, Darkness Falls was the first to kick for home and toughed it out to score by a neck.
There was little to split the pair at the line and equally that is little to separate them in the 2027 2,000 Guineas market. Darkness Falls heads the betting at a general 7/2, with Desert Castle second favourite at a best price of 6/1.
Alphonse Le Grande Regains Cesarewitch Crown
| Pos | Horse | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Alphonse Le Grande | 18/1 | A J Martin | Patrick McGettigan |
| 2nd | Sea Lantern | 4/1 F | Brian Ellison | Rowan Scott |
| 3rd | Dawn Rising | 6/1 | Joseph Patrick O’Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 4th | High Fibre | 12/1 | James Owen | Silvestre De Sousa |
With the Group 1 action in the books for another year, attention turned to the weekend’s feature handicap. Held over a marathon 2m2f, the Cesarewitch is among the most competitive staying handicaps of the season. A tough race to win once, the record books suggest it is even harder to win a second time. Ahead of the 2026 edition, 2010 and 2012 hero Aaim To Prosper was the only horse with more than one Cesarewitch to his name – quite the stat considering the race has been run almost continuously since 1839.
In the lead-up to this year’s contest, 2025 winner Beylerbeyi generated much of the hype. Arriving at the top of his game, the Ian Williams runner was well fancied to become only the second dual winner and the first to win back-to-back editions. Following a thrilling renewal, we are still waiting for our first back-to-back Cesarewitch winner. However, Aaim To Prosper is no longer the sole name on the list of multiple winners.
In 2024, Alphonse Le Grande won the Cesarewitch for Tony Martin, but only following a protracted saga. Having crossed the line a nose ahead of Manxman, his rider’s alleged overuse of the whip saw him disqualified three days later. Happily for connections, a later appeal saw Alphonse Le Grande reinstated as the winner, setting up this attempt to reclaim his title.
Without a win since that dramatic success, Alphonse Le Grande had dropped back to his winning mark of 87. Compared to his 2024 triumph, this victory was relatively comfortable, with no sign of any whip controversy and the horse stretching his winning margin from a nose to a full short head. Following this fine training performance, Tony Martin suggested Alphonse Le Grande may not settle for equalling the record, stating, “He’s only seven, so there’s no reason why he can’t come back to bid for a third next year.”
Shergar and Moore Announced as Hall of Fame Inductees
On Saturday, Ascot hosts the spectacular late-season highlight of Qatar Racing British Champions Day. Seven days before the runners line up for the final Group 1 of 2026 in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, Ascot squeezes five top-tier events into this autumn showstopper.
As part of the celebrations, British Champions Day crowns the Champion Flat Jockey, Champion Apprentice Jockey, and Champion Flat Owner of 2026. In addition to honouring the stars of the current campaign, Champions Day also sees the latest inductees officially enter the British Racing Hall of Fame.
The racing icons selected to join the exclusive club in 2026 are the supremely talented Ryan Moore and legendary Derby hero Shergar. Currently Aidan O’Brien’s number one rider, Moore has over 3,400 career wins, including more than 230 at Group/Grade 1 level.
Shergar, meanwhile, remains one of the most famous racehorses of all time. During a sensational 1981 season, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained runner won the Epsom Derby by a record 10 lengths, before adding the Irish Derby and King George to his haul. Following his retirement, Shergar made the headlines for more tragic reasons. Kidnapped by armed gunmen on 8 February 1983, he was never seen again, with the incident the subject of two TV documentaries and a 1999 movie.
