Arc-winning team strikes again as 200-1 and 100-1 bolts rock Berkshire flat season finale

Calandagan silenced any remaining doubters with an emphatic performance in the QIPCO Champion Stakes, surging clear of Ombudsman by two and a quarter lengths to claim his third Group 1 of the season on a wild afternoon at Ascot that produced two of the biggest shocks in Group 1 history.

The 15-8 favourite, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and owned by the Aga Khan Studs, upgraded last year's agonizing second place behind Anmaat, with Mickael Barzalona timing his challenge to perfection as 28-1 shot Almaqam claimed third ahead of Delacroix. The much-anticipated third meeting between Ombudsman and Delacroix proved academic as the King George hero demonstrated his class over the extended ten furlongs.

Graffard described the race as simply "a beautiful race to watch," adding his relief at avoiding the tactical complications that pacemakers from rival operations can create. "When he travels and quickens like he does, the only thing you can say is he is a fantastic horse," said the Frenchman, who had also saddled Arc winner Daryz just weeks earlier.

Barzalona's mount had recently worked alongside Daryz, finishing stride for stride with the subsequent Arc hero, a workout that proved prophetic. "I could feel Ombudsman coming beside me but I had a lot of confidence my lad would keep going. Once he finds his rhythm he is a very powerful horse," said Barzalona, who described his October – which included the Arc triumph – as something "that will not happen every year so I will enjoy it a lot."

Economics, returning after a year's absence for William Haggas, finished a disappointing eighth, with Haggas later explaining the gelding "was too fresh" and "a bit rusty" in his first start back.

Unprecedented upsets stun Ascot

The day began with form holding as Godolphin's Trawlerman cemented his status as the season's outstanding stayer with a length-and-a-half defeat of stablemate Sweet William in the Long Distance Cup. William Buick dictated affairs on the 5-6 favourite, kicking on early to lead with over a mile to run, with Sweet William closing ominously under Rab Havlin in the final quarter-mile before Trawlerman reasserted late.

The Gold Cup winner stopped the clock in race-record time, prompting John Gosden to hail him as "a relentless galloper" who remains unbeaten domestically this season following earlier wins in the Henry II Stakes, Gold Cup and Lonsdale Cup.

But normalcy ended there. Powerful Glory provided the afternoon's first seismic shock when Richard Fahey's charge stormed home at 200-1 under Jamie Spencer in the Champions Sprint, pipping 2-1 favourite Lazzat on the line after being switched right over a furlong out. Only 1.13 percent of Oddschecker bets had backed the winner in what became the biggest-priced winner in Group 1 history.

The madness continued in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes when 100-1 outsider Cicero's Gift hugged the rail from his draw in stall one, progressing from the two-furlong marker to hit the front with a furlong remaining and holding off The Lion In Winter by a length and a quarter. Charles Hills admitted he was "speechless," confessing: "After there was a 200-1 winner I thought, 'Well that counts us out'".

The victory came weeks after the passing of legendary trainer Barry Hills, with his son Charlie acknowledging: "It has been a really tough year for all of us and as a family we have stuck strong. The old man will be looking down and I'd say he would be chuffed".

Kalpana rebounds in Fillies & Mares

Between the shocks, Andrew Balding's Kalpana provided a touch of chalk, tracking the leader before taking command over two furlongs out and drawing clear to beat Estrange by two and a half lengths in the Fillies & Mares Stakes. The 11-8 favourite, ridden by Colin Keane, had Quisisana back in third.

Aidan O'Brien's Mission Central provided the Ballydoyle trainer his only victory on the card when prevailing at 5-1 in the Champion Day Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes, though O'Brien enjoyed remarkable compensation at Leopardstown, where he saddled five consecutive winners at combined odds of 437-1.

The day drew an attendance of 31,257, up eight percent on the previous year, with racegoers treated to a fitting finale to the British flat season that delivered everything from clinical class to unfathomable chaos. As Graffard suggested after Calandagan's demolition job, sometimes champions make it look easy – but on this extraordinary afternoon at Ascot, nothing else did.