Jerome Reynier was delighted with Facteur Cheval after his tenacious second-placed performance in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot.

The bay travelled over from France for the mile showpiece to round off a consistent season in which he had never been out of the top three.

In five Group-level starts prior to Ascot, the gelding had not been beaten more than a length and a half, finishing third to Anmaat in the Prix d’Ispahan, second to Paddington in the Sussex Stakes and third to Sauterne in the Prix du Moulin.

Big Rock was the runner-up on the latter occasion and on soft ground in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes it was the same horse who flew home to secure a six-length success.

His compatriot ensured the race was a French-dominated affair, however, with Facteur Cheval giving chase to make up a huge amount of ground from last place when finishing second ahead of a group of quality horses.

Reynier was thrilled with his horse, who was a 14-1 chance under Mickael Barzalona and did the stable proud on his final run as a four-year-old.

“It was great,” said the trainer. “He didn’t get the best run, as he was in a good position early on but he had to go behind Paddington and he ended up going backwards, unfortunately.

“He had to come back from behind and go around all the horses, it was almost impossible to make the second place but he was very courageous to give his all and go and beat the Aga Khan filly (Tahiyra) – it was just unbelievable.

“I thought he was going to struggle to finish but he is a swimmer, he loves that kind of ground.

“It feels like a win because Big Rock was unstoppable, we did what we could and finishing second was the maximum of his ability on the day.

“We weren’t too far from Big Rock on quick ground, so maybe one day we will be able to compete with him.”

Facteur Cheval will be given a break over the winter and could then be on his travels again in 2024, with Dubai and Newbury both mentioned as possible targets.

“It’s an amazing four-year-old campaign that he’s had, he’s been very consistent, even though he didn’t win a race this year,” Reynier added.

“He’s been second in the QEII, second in the Sussex, third in the Ispahan, third in the Moulin, they have been amazing achievements and we can’t wait for him to have a bit of a holiday and start off next year in good shape.

“He deserves a break, we could go to Dubai with him for the Dubai Turf for his reappearance.

“We’ll maybe come back to England for the Lockinge, he likes races with a lot of pace and sometimes in France he doesn’t get the pace he likes, we’ll see – we’ll talk to connections and we’ll decide together which is the best route to take.”

There was yet another victory for France in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot as Big Rock delivered a devastating display on Qipco British Champions Day.

Often the bridesmaid when racing at the highest level this year, the son of Rock Of Gibraltar had finished second in the Prix du Jockey Club, Prix Jacques le Marois and Prix du Moulin in his last three starts.

However, Christopher Head’s brilliant colt finally got his moment in the spotlight, making every yard in the one-mile Group One feature.

Immediately taking his customary position at the head of proceedings, his rivals were left chasing shadows as big-race jockey Aurelien Lemaitre kept upping the tempo.

Having built up a healthy lead, it was Dermot Weld’s Tahiyra who decided to break cover from the pack first, with Chris Hayes setting the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine in pursuit.

But there was no catching Big Rock (5-1) who kept on galloping in the rain-softened ground to register an emphatic six-length success and also lead home a French one-two, as Jerome Reynier’s Facteur Cheval stayed on past a tiring Tahiyra in the dying strides to grab the silver medal.

Short-priced favourite Paddington beat only two home, one of those being 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean.

Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington bids for a triumphant return to Ascot in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

The three-year-old has enjoyed an immense run of form through the season, winning a string of races that carried him from a Naas handicap to a Group One four-timer that included the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the St James’s Palace, the Coral-Eclipse and the Sussex Stakes.

His sole defeat of the season, and only the second loss of his career, came at York in the Juddmonte International as he came home third behind Mostahdaf and Nashwa.

That was in August and the Siyouni colt has not been seen on course since, meaning he will arrive at Ascot a fresh horse as he looks to regain the winning thread.

“Obviously he’s had a very busy year and it was nice for him to get a little bit of time after his last run,” O’Brien told Sky Sports Racing.

“Everything has been really good with him and everyone seems very happy with him.

“We were very happy with his run at York, it was a great run.

“Frankie (Dettori, on Mostahdaf) went a very strong gallop out in front, Ryan (Moore) just let our horse relax and he came home very well but just didn’t catch him.

“It’s a very strong, competitive race, which is what you would expect and want.”

John and Thady Gosden’s Nashwa swerved the Champion Stakes to drop back to a mile after her fine effort on the Knavesmire.

The Frankel filly has form over both trips having won the Falmouth Stakes in July and arrives at Ascot off the back of two valiant runs in defeat in both the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes.

She will be ridden as ever by owner Imad Al Sagar’s retained jockey Hollie Doyle, who said: “It really hasn’t mattered to me which race they chose.

“Nashwa seems just as good at a mile as a mile and a quarter, so the trip doesn’t seem to be an issue, and she goes on any ground. She’d have had a right shout in either of them.

“She’s been great lately when placed against the colts in the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes, and those two runs have been close to her career best.

“Physically she does well year in, year out, and she’s really stepped forward again this year. The figures say she’s improved significantly again, which is mad, so I’m delighted she’s staying in training.”

Ground permitting, Dermot Weld hopes to saddle the Aga Khan’s brilliant filly Tahiyra, whose season has so far involved victories in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, the Coronation Stakes and the Matron Stakes.

There are also a pair of French-trained contenders in Christopher Head’s Big Rock and Jerome Reynier’s Facteur Cheval.

The latter was beaten just a head in the Prix d’Ispahan in May and then gave Paddington a race to finish second behind him when carrying 7lb more on soft ground in the Sussex at Goodwood.

Such conditions are no hindrance to the horse and Reynier is looking forward to seeing his gelding take his chance against a quality field.

“All lights are green, the only question mark is the straight course as he’s never been racing on one, but he handles the soft ground,” he said.

“He was racing against Paddington in the Sussex and he was carrying much more weight that day, it’s always been the plan to angle the season around this race.

“We are happy, he is very consistent and he is a lovely horse.

“We can only hope for the best, it is a very competitive race and it’s very exciting to have a runner in what is probably the best race of the year.

“We don’t mind any ground with him, he is such a consistent individual and we are happy with the conditions.

“Paddington has had a bit of a rest and is nice and fresh, him and Big Rock are two horses that are ridden prominently so if we can keep up and follow them, that would be a good thing.”

Andrew Balding is represented by Chaldean, the 2000 Guineas winner who was then second behind Paddington at the Royal meeting.

The chestnut’s next outing was a beaten effort in the Prix Jean Prat, where he was seventh, but that was in early July so the horse has had a good break since.

Barry Mahon, of owners Juddmonte, said: “His work is very good and Andrew and the team are very happy with him.

“In fairness to Oisin (Murphy, replaced by Frankie Dettori), he’s been a great help the last few weeks riding him in his work and everyone seems very happy with the horse.

“In terms of the ground, we know we handle soft ground, whether we handle heavy ground or not will be another question, but he’s in very good form, he’s had a good break and his form from earlier in the year is up there with the best of them.

“It’s a top-class race, as you’d expect on Champions Day, and any of one of them would be plausible winners.”

Ralph Beckett will saddle Angel Bleu after a supplementary entry for a final run before his racing career comes to a close and he heads off to stand as a stallion in France.

Beckett said: “It’s going to be tough, but he’s in very good form and when the ground became soft we made the decision to supplement. The ground will even everything up as he is a proven soft-ground performer, unlike some of the others.

“This will be his last race as he is off to stud at the French operation of his new part owner Nurlan Bizakov.”

Tom Clover’s Rogue Millennium, winner of the Duke of Cambridge at the Royal fixture, William Knight’s Checkandchallenge, Kevin Ryan’s Hi Royal and the Gosdens’ Epictetus complete the 11-strong field.

Rogue Millennium will return to the scene of her finest hour on Saturday when she makes her final outing for Tom Clover and owners The Rogues Gallery in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

The four-year-old has been a star performer for her trainer and ownership syndicate over the past two seasons having been purchased for the relatively inexpensive fee of 35,000 guineas in the autumn of 2021.

A consistent performer throughout her time in training with Clover, not only did she take connections to the Oaks after securing the handler’s first Listed success in Lingfield’s Oaks Trial, she also notched up a first Group winner for the trainer when prevailing in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier in the year.

That victory paved the way for Rogue Millennium to contest Group One events in her last three outings and with top-level black type secured when second to Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Tahiyra in the Matron Stakes, connections head to British Champions Day for a shot to nothing at the QEII before Rogue Millennium likely heads to the sales ring in December.

“She will most likely head to the Sceptre sale (held during the Tattersalls December Mares Sale) and it will very likely be her last run for ourselves and The Rogues Gallery,” said Clover.

“She was our first Listed winner, our first Group winner and our first Royal Ascot winner and she has a lot of black type now and has run some fantastic races across Europe. She has just taken us on some memorable journeys.

“For the Rogues and all the different members, it has just been a terrific journey and it has been fantastic to give syndicate owners such big days and go and compete in all these big races against the top connections.

“Win, lose or draw, she has been terrific servant for us but it would be lovely if she could shape up well. It would be a shame to bow out after a disappointing run at Longchamp last time.”

That below-par performance in Paris came when racing over 10 furlongs in the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day.

However, she now returns to the course and distance over which she thrived when successful at the Royal meeting, with the Kremlin House handler taking plenty of encouragement from her effort against Tahiyra at Leopardstown in September.

Clover added: “She has worked very well at home, but it can be very hard to tell if fillies are over the top or not at this time of year. In terms of her home work, she seems really well and she looks well.

“We sort of felt she is a course-and-distance winner and she handled very soft ground at Longchamp (earlier in the season) and I think if having an extra 100 yards or a furlong, you could argue she was closing down Tahiyra in the Matron.

“If she could reproduce that run it would put her in with a shout of being near, which would be incredible for her owners.”

Connections of Inspiral will consider a trip to the Breeders’ Cup for their star filly after deciding against running in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

John and Thady Gosden’s four-year-old was a brilliant winner of the Sun Chariot at Newmarket two weeks ago, her fifth victory at Group One level following previous triumphs in the Fillies’ Mile, the Coronation Stakes and back-to-back wins in the Prix Jacques le Marois.

Owner-breeders Cheveley Park Stud were keen on another tilt at the QEII after failing to fire in the race 12 months ago – but with conditions in Berkshire sure to be testing, Inspiral will sidestep Qipco Champions Day and a decision on both her short and long-term future will be made soon.

“We’ve obviously been monitoring the weather and the rain that’s fallen. I know John Gosden walked the track yesterday (Wednesday), there’s been a subsequent 12 millimetres and it looks like there’s more to come,” said Cheveley Park’s managing director Chris Richardson.

“As we know when she ran on soft ground in the Sussex at Goodwood in the summer, Frankie looked after her as it wasn’t the sort of performance she was enjoying.

“The decision now is whether the Breeders’ Cup (Filly & Mare Turf) is an option. John is going to speak to Mrs Thompson about it and then we’ll know more, but it’s very much up to her to decide whether she wants the filly to go to America.

“They’re liaising between them and there’s decisions to be made on whether she runs again this year and whether she’s kept in training next year.

“She’s a wonderful filly, Mrs Thompson is the owner of the horse and will make the decision.”

Dermot Weld looks set to make a late call on the participation of his star filly Tahiyra in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

The daughter of Siyouni has won five of her six starts to date, her only defeat coming at the hands of Mawj when beaten by half a length in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May.

Tahiyra has since impressed in winning the Irish Guineas, the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown and Weld is keen to pitch her in against the colts on Qipco Champions Day – but admits the prospect of running on testing conditions is a worry.

“It’s pretty clear the filly herself has progressed from each of her Group Ones wins, I’m delighted with her and we want to run – but I do have to put in the caveat that she’s shown excellent speed on fast ground,” the trainer told Sky Sports Racing.

“She’s also won on soft ground and she’s a very adaptable filly, but I do have to advise that if the ground came up very heavy, she’s not a big filly and it would cause concern.

“She’s a brilliant filly and she will handle soft ground well, but I’m concerned about the weather forecast for that part of England, especially Friday night into Saturday.

“She will definitely travel over, (but) she is racing against some of the best colts in Europe and that (ground) is a concern.”

Weld has trained a host of top-class fillies during the course of his long and illustrious career and believes Tahiyra matches up to any that have gone before her.

He added: “She’s right up there. Homeless Songs was a brilliant filly the year before when she won the Irish Guineas and Tahiyra’s half-sister Tarnawa won at the Breeders’ Cup for us.

“I don’t like comparing horses from year to year. On this year Tahiyra is a very brilliant filly.”

Should Tahiyra sidestep Ascot, she would have the option of travelling to America for the Breeders’ Cup, although Weld is refusing to look beyond the weekend at this stage.

He said: “We haven’t even discussed that because it would be wrong to do so. Let’s concentrate on Saturday and let’s hope to be there.

“Champions Day has always been a very good day for me. Fascinating Rock won the Champion Stakes, we won the fillies’ and mares’ race with Sapphire and the Long Distance Cup I’ve won a couple of times with Forgotten Rules and Rite Of Passage.

“Ascot itself as a track has been very good to me. I think I’ve trained 19 Group winners at the Royal meeting and my horses always run extremely well at Ascot.

“Tahiyra is in great form, I couldn’t be happier with the filly, her final piece of work was excellent and her graph has gone the right direction throughout the year.

“I’m just very positive of a big run for Saturday.”

Connections of Facteur Cheval are eager to see more rainfall at Ascot ahead of his tilt at the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day.

Jerome Reynier’s ultra-consistent performer is yet to finish outside the first three in five outings this term, beaten less than two lengths on each occasion, with his last three appearances coming at Group One level.

The Facteur Cheval team are looking forward to another crack at Paddington having been short of room when second to Aidan O’Brien’s prolific winner in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

“It’s the plan and he could run on any type of surface, but he’s better with some give in the ground and the wetter the better, like when he won the Prix Perth at Saint-Cloud,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, who own the horse in partnership with Gary Barber.

“We have skipped some other races he could have run in waiting for the race next weekend figuring it would be really wet again.”

If the ground is quicker than Facteur Cheval ideally likes, connections will use it as a guide to next year.

Irwin added: “I think at this point we’re looking at it as much, if not more, as a test to see how he handles that (quicker) going at this point of his life, as our goal next year is the Dubai Turf. This will be a good test to see how he handles that type of track.

“That mile up the straight at Ascot is more like a mile and eighth and that’s the distance of the Dubai Turf.

“That’s what we’re looking at and whether we are going to have a big impact on this race now – and unless we get lucky and the ground turns very soft – that is something we’re a bit concerned about obviously.”

Connections of Inspiral have confirmed the brilliant filly is not only set to line up in either the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot or head for the Breeders’ Cup before the year is out, but there is also every chance she could return for another season in 2024.

Having been given a break since successfully defending her title in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville in August, John and Thady Gosden’s charge secured the fifth Group One victory of her career so far with a dominant display in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

Cheveley Park Stud director Richard Thompson is expecting to see Inspiral once more this season, but whether that will be on Qipco British Champions Day or in California remains to be seen.

Thompson said: “We were thrilled with her on Saturday. If you look at her last two performances, in the Jacques le Marois and in the Sun Chariot, they were two very authoritative performances.

“The way she won the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last year was probably the performance of the meeting and she’s not done too badly since, beating the colts twice in the Jacques le Marois, and I think her latest performance at Deauville was pretty impressive.

“We’re looking at the QEII or the Breeders’ Cup this season. It will be one of the two, we just don’t know which one yet. It depends on how she comes out of Saturday, it depends on the ground at Ascot – there’s a few factors.”

While hesitant to make plans beyond Inspiral’s next run, Thompson is open to the idea of sending her back into training as a five-year-old.

He added: “She could potentially stay in training next season, but that depends on how she comes out of her final race this year, whichever race that is going to be.

“The trainer will give us his steer and if he feels she’s ready to go next season, we’ll go with it and give her another go next season, absolutely, subject to him (John Gosden) giving us that confirmation.”

Jerome Reynier has the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day in mind for Facteur Cheval after his honourable second to Paddington at Goodwood.

The four-year-old was been incredibly consistent in France all year, placing in a string of Group races when never far behind the winner.

In late May he was third in the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp, coming home just a head behind Owen Burrows’ Anmaat in the nine-furlong Group One.

His next destination was the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, another Group One for which he was a 11-1 shot under Maxime Guyon.

Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington dominated the market and was ultimately the winner, but Reynier’s runner gave the 4-9 favourite a real run for his money despite encountering some traffic problems two furlongs from home.

Facteur Cheval now has a return to British shores pencilled into his diary, with another run on home turf beforehand likely, as Reynier considers the Prix du Moulin over the Prix Daniel Wildenstein to allow for the ideal Ascot preparation.

“We’re very happy with him, he has been recovering from the run and the journey and he is in very good shape,” the trainer said.

“We are going to aim for the QEII at the end of the year and maybe have another run in between in something like the Moulin.

“We will see, depending on the ground, the opposition and how he feels.

“He could race there in September, but we are aiming for the QEII which is on October 21. I don’t really want to try the Prix Daniel Wildenstein on the Arc weekend on the September 30 and then three weeks later send him to Ascot – that’s maybe a little bit too much to ask of him.”

Reynier hopes the horse will continue to take strides forward and could prove to be as reliable a campaigner as his evergreen stablemate Skalleti.

“He ran very well, he is improving mentally and physically and should be a very nice horse for the QEII and next year he should be a proper international campaigner,” he said.

“He handles everything but we are trying to manage him and the softer it is, the better it is for him.

“We’ve done it with Skalleti and there are many points of comparison with them, hopefully with Facteur Cheval we’ll end up with 12 Group wins like Skalleti has already!”

Skalleti is a stalwart of the Reynier stable and a remarkably consistent performer over a mile to 10 furlongs, winning 20 of his 31 starts with over half of his successes coming in Group company – including twice at the top level.

He is another horse who appreciates cut in the ground and he will be aimed at the Prix Dollar, a Group Two run on Arc weekend that he has won twice previously.

“It’s a question of the weather and the ground,” Reynier said.

“He’ll probably be aiming for the Prix Dollar on Arc weekend, he’s won the race twice.

“He loves Longchamp and the ground is very often soft there on Arc weekend, so that’s probably the plan with him.”