Powerful Glory, a 200-1 outsider, stunned the racing world by winning the Champions Sprint at Ascot on Saturday, setting a new record for the longest-priced victory in a British Group One race. The previous record, set by Qirat at 150-1 in the Sussex Stakes in August, lasted only two months.
Ridden by Jamie Spencer, Powerful Glory came from behind with a perfectly timed challenge to beat the 2-1 favourite Lazzat by a neck. The crowd fell silent as punters checked their racecards, searching for any form that might have hinted at the result. The colt had finished last in a five-runner conditions race at Beverley in September and eighth of nine on his three-year-old debut.
Trainer Richard Fahey insisted the win was no fluke, saying: 'It was the plan all year, genuinely. He had excuses for his two starts this year and we've seen the real Powerful Glory today.' Spencer added: 'Not in your wildest dreams are you expecting to win after finishing last in a five-runner conditions race.'
The shock was compounded by Cicero's Gift, another 100-1 winner, in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Trainer Charlie Hills, who lost his father Barry in June, said: 'I am speechless. It has been a really tough year for us at home, but we are a tight family and we've stuck strong.'
Earlier, Calandagan became only the second horse to win the King George and Champion Stakes in the same season, matching Brigadier Gerard's 1972 achievement. Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, the 15-8 second-favourite defeated Ombudsman decisively, capping a remarkable season for Graffard who also won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Daryz.
