← Honest Record · Pick Winner · Mr Fox

Betfred Champagne Stakes (Group 2)

13:45 Doncaster Sat 12 Sep 2026 0m7f6y Class 1 Good 29 runners

View the racecard →

Mr Fox’s call

Desert Castle silks

Desert Castle

SPECULATIVE Advised 8/13 SP 1/1F Est. 48%

🏆 WON

Mr Fox says

Desert Castle (SR 114, 8/13) is the standout selection. Charlie Appleby's operation fires at a remarkable 33% career strike rate from 829 runners — the highest in this field by a considerable margin — and Billy Loughnane's booking (18%) reinforces stable confidence. The 22% market shortening is the most aggressive move in the race and signals that connections and informed money are strongly behind this horse stepping up two class tiers. While SR 114 isn't the field-high — Sergei Diaghilev leads on 117 — Desert Castle's explosive single-run form figure of '1' combined with Appleby's elite juvenile record in Group 2s at this time of year makes this a compelling case that the raw SR may already be behind the horse's true ability. The field is level on weight at 9-2 throughout, so no handicapping edge exists elsewhere. Each-way alternative: Sergei Diaghilev. Main danger: Sergei Diaghilev — Sergei Diaghilev carries the field's highest SR of 117, has proven distance fitness (DistFit:+), and a recent '1' on the end of his 1-9-1 form string suggests a horse returning to winning ways — Aidan O'Brien at 23% with a specific seven-furlong angle is always dangerous at Doncaster.

Verify· #17341

Full result

Winner: Desert Castle (GB) at SP 1/1F. Mr Fox’s picks highlighted in gold.

  1. 1 Desert Castle silks Desert Castle Fox #1 Charlie Appleby · Billy Loughnane 4/5
  2. 2 Sergei Diaghilev silks Sergei Diaghilev Fox #2 A P O'Brien · Wayne Lordan 4/1
  3. 3 Breacher silks Breacher William Muir & Chris Grassick · Lewis Edmunds 8/1
  4. 4 Gentle Hurricane silks Gentle Hurricane Fox #3 Andrew Balding · Jason Watson 5/1
  5. 5 Silver Dominion silks Silver Dominion Oliver Cole · Tom Marquand 25/1
  6. — Rosberg silks Rosberg K. R. Burke · Clifford Lee 16/1
  7. — Confucius silks Confucius A P O'Brien
  8. — Perfect Nation silks Perfect Nation George Boughey
  9. — Rock Montreal silks Rock Montreal Roger Varian
  10. — Aix La Chapelle silks Aix La Chapelle A P O'Brien
  11. — Camarda Rc silks Camarda Rc Richard Hannon
  12. — Thebesthasyetocome silks Thebesthasyetocome Adrian Keatley
  13. — Weleyff silks Weleyff Edward Bethell
  14. — Zero Error silks Zero Error John & Thady Gosden
  15. — Al Hudaiba silks Al Hudaiba Charlie Appleby
  16. — Agrippa silks Agrippa Richard Hannon
  17. — Byzantine silks Byzantine George Boughey
  18. — Engraved silks Engraved James Fanshawe
  19. — Florida Bay silks Florida Bay A P O'Brien
  20. — Folsom Blues silks Folsom Blues Joseph Patrick O'Brien
  21. — Grove Street silks Grove Street Brian Meehan
  22. — Haffner silks Haffner A P O'Brien
  23. — Launch Sequence silks Launch Sequence K. R. Burke
  24. — Giant Sequoia silks Giant Sequoia A P O'Brien
  25. — Hereward silks Hereward Brian Meehan
  26. — Ruler's Control silks Ruler's Control Joseph Patrick O'Brien
  27. — Soldier Of The Sea silks Soldier Of The Sea William Knight
  28. — Sonic Angel silks Sonic Angel Simon & Ed Crisford
  29. — South Dakota silks South Dakota A P O'Brien

Top 4 — how each finished

  1. 1 Desert Castle silks Desert Castle 8/13 SP 1/1F 🏆 WON
  2. 2 Sergei Diaghilev silks Sergei Diaghilev 5/1 🥈 2ND
  3. 3 Gentle Hurricane silks Gentle Hurricane 6/1 🏁 4TH