The G1 Champion Stakes (1993m) at Ascot on Saturday (18 October) is arguably the UK’s race of the season with three of the world’s pre-eminent middle-distance horses set to clash, along with a highly gifted supporting cast among the 11-horse field.

The other five World Pool races are also packed with quality as well as quantity and the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1600m) over Ascot’s straight course prompted Philip Robinson, a former dual Champion Jockey in Hong Kong and now racing manager for Saeed Suhail-owned Never So Brave, to say: “Without a doubt this is the best Group 1 mile race of the year.”

Ombudsman has been saved for the Champion Stakes and it is easy to see the argument for the John & Thady Gosden-trained bay colt.

Though beaten a neck into second by Saturday’s rival Delacroix (Christophe Soumillon) in Sandown’s G1 Eclipse Stakes (1990m), William Buick’s mount emphatically reversed form with a three-and-a-half-length winning margin in the G1 International Stakes (2051m) at York in August.

That form looks mighty strong with Delacroix subsequently winning the G1 Irish Champion Stakes (2000m), while subsequent G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) winner Daryz finished way behind at York.

Moreover, Birr Castle – who proved such an effective pacemaker for Ombudsman at York that he briefly threatened a huge shock victory – has been replaced in that same role at Ascot by Devil’s Advocate, supplemented for his persuasive early speed.

Then there is Calandagan, brilliant winner of June’s G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (2400m) and July’s G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2392m) at Ascot. He was second in this last year, after which Francis-Henri Graffard – champion trainer-elect in France – blamed himself for getting the tactics wrong when the gelding was grabbed late on by shock winner Anmaat.

Graffard says of Calandagan, who had been working stride-for-stride with Daryz just before that Arc victory: “He is in great shape and I hope that he can be competitive against Ombudsman and Delacroix and prove that he is one of the best horses in Europe, which I believe he is.”

Never So Brave (Oisin Murphy) has come a long way in a short space of time ahead of his bid for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. He was handicapping two races before his Group 1 victory in August’s City Of York Stakes (1400m).

The competition will be ferocious with 16 runners declared, including Field Of Gold (Colin Keane), whose memorable victories in the Curragh’s G1 Irish 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Royal Ascot’s G1 St James’s Palace Stakes (1594m) suggested that he was one of the best milers seen in the UK in recent years. There may have been legitimate excuses for the striking grey’s underwhelming display in Goodwood’s G1 Sussex Stakes (1600m) and Brian Mahon, racing manager to owners Juddmonte, said: “Field Of Gold is back in great form and hopefully can again show us just how good he is.”

The Champion Stakes is carded as S3-5 and will be run at 11:05pm (Hong Kong time) on Saturday, 18 October; Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is carded as S3-4 and will be run at 10:25pm (Hong Kong time).