Leung Ho Yin, Simon's Bio
Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in overseas international racing. Bringing with him a wealth of racing knowledge, Simon is the host and race caller for the overseas simulcast programme since 2008/09 season. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Racing Horizon’ and ‘Horse Racing – Results’.

Ascot Racecourse – Track Analysis (British Champions Day):

Spreading in a triangular configuration while racing anti-clockwise, the world-renowned Round Course at the course of Ascot is further augmented with a 1600m Straight Mile Course coming in as a chute to re-join the home stretch of the course proper.

For the featured 2000m Champion Stakes, and the 2321m British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, fields will swing right-handed with an incline shortly after the break. From there on in, it is one stout, steady climb up the Old Mile, through an acute and dipping right-handed corner – just before turning for home – that particularly works against runners rallying from out wide, who may lose both ground and balance at the same time while picking up momentum.

In contrast, the barrier for the 3115m British Champions Long Distance Cup is placed some 350m before the finish line, and fields have to file by 500m of the homestretch, right in front of the grandstand for the first time, before disputing another full lap to complete this trip. Together with the usual pedestrian fractions early on in such a grueling marathon, even a bad stall does not really hurt any runner’s winning chances.

Back on the Straight Mile Course, where the 1200m British Champions Sprint Stakes, the 1600m Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and the Balmoral Handicap will all be staged – while observing many a contest on this particular race day last year – fields usually bunch up towards the far side, though runners often fare better along the grandstand side.

In any case and any race, be it on the Straight Mile or the Round Course, runners still have to be ready to pounce full-out for a 560m cavalry charge down the homestretch. With another sudden ascent shortly before the judge that takes the challenge up another notch at Ascot, a front-runner certainly has to pull off a herculean effort while trying to win it every step of the way.

In the 2018 edition of the featured Champion Stakes, when the strip was listed as soft, eventual winner CRACKSMAN, in touch with the speed while racing mid-pack early, prompted the lead at the top of the stretch, and simply put the field away by daylight, while second-placed CRYSTAL OCEAN, despite hounding the leader on the rail throughout contention, could never catch the winner, and SUBWAY DANCER, who packed a big closing punch from way back, checked in late for third.

Though sunshine may return this Saturday, a continuous deluge as of late in the London area has already made the lawn at Ascot good or good to soft turf at best for this year’s edition of the British Champions Day, and may not dry up in time. Therefore, final track listing still rates to be a big factor on race-day selections.

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