Champions Day lived up to its name at Ascot on Sunday, where a clash of the elite saw Aidan O’Brien notch his 25th Group 1 win of the season; equalling Bobby Frankel’s record set in 2003, and was later crowned champion trainer in Britain for the 2017 season. His latest top-level victory came in impressive fashion, as HYDRANGEA (IRE) took the QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes by two lengths. Successful in the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Irish Champions Weekend last month, the daughter of Galileo (IRE) is now a top-level winner over both a mile and a mile and a half, the former coming on good ground and the latter on soft. The Smith/Magnier/Tabor owned three-year-old also has five Group 1 placings to her name.

Hydrangea (IRE)’s full-brother The United States (IRE) gained his own Group 1 victory last March, taking the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill Gardens for Robert Hickmott. He had previously won at Group 3 level in Ireland, as his half-sister Fire Lily (IRE) had three times over six furlongs. Their dam, Beauty Is Truth (IRE), took the Group 2 Prix du Gros-Chene over the minimum distance, and is a half-sister to French Guineas runner-up Glorious Sight (IRE).

O’Brien and his perfect partner of Galileo (IRE) had begun the day with winning ways, as ORDER OF ST GEORGE (IRE) led home an Irish-trained 1-2 in the Group 2 Long Distance Cup. The three-time Group 1 winner was unsurprisingly sent off favourite and raced midfield of 13 under Ryan Moore, making progress with four furlongs to go and ground down his rivals steadily to lead 75 yards from the line. The Jessica Harrington-trained Torcedor (IRE), a son of Fastnet Rock, finished half a length behind him in second, with the same distance back to Stradivarius (IRE), a son of Sea The Stars (IRE), in third.

Later describing his charge as “unbelievably tough and hardy”, O’Brien expressed his hopes that ORDER OF ST GEORGE (IRE) stay in training next year. The five-year-old entire is a full-brother to Kellstorm (IRE), who was Group 3 placed at Flemington in October, while three half siblings are Stakes winners. Their grand-dam Storm Song was crowned champion two-year-old in the US in 1996 for her two Grade 1 victories.

The fourth horse home in the Long Distance Cup was Mount Moriah, a three-year-old son of recent Boardsmill Stud recruit Mount Nelson, who remarkably also sired the winner of the card’s Group 1 Champion Sprint, in the form of LIBRISA BREEZE. The now five-year-old gelding first caught the eye on his second start for Dean Ivory, when he ran an excellent second in the Royal Hunt Cup over a mile. Dropping down to seven, he won two valuable handicaps and since switching to six furlongs, has been beaten less than four lengths on each subsequent start. He advertises a remarkable versatility for his sire, who commanded a fee of €4,500 at his new County Meath home this season.

Another Irish stallion advertising his versatility at Champions Day was Yeomanstown Stud’s sprinting sensation Dark Angel (IRE), whose daughter PERSUASIVE (IRE) defeated a top-class field in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile. Victorious by a length, the four-year-old filly denied favourite, multiple Group 1 winner and fellow Goffs Orby graduate Ribchester (IRE), who finished half a length in front of dual Guineas hero Churchill (IRE).

She becomes the third Group 1 winner of the season for her sire, whose fee rose to €65,000 in 2017. PERSUASIVE (IRE) was bred by John Tuthill of Owenstown Stud, who sold her to owners Cheveley Park Stud for €180,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale. She is a half-sister to Listed winner Tisbutadream (IRE), out of the Listed-winning Choisir mare Choose Me (IRE), who finished third in the Blandford Stakes at four. Also bred by Tuthill, she is a half-sister to Stakes winner Shanghai Glory (IRE), from the family of dual Group 1 winner Cairn Rouge.