Frankel's final race in the QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot next month "will unfold in front of a sell-out crowd of 32,000 after the creation of an extra 1,500 spaces for spectators in a marquee alongside the track's main grandstand," according to Greg Wood of the London GUARDIAN. However, with "no further increases to the capacity planned," some fans who would have wanted to attend are likely to be locked out. Ascot is "licensed to hold crowds of up to 80,000" and frequently does so at its showpiece Royal meeting in June each year, but "many are accommodated in temporary hospitality facilities." These are in place for the full five days of the meeting and are not cost effective for a single Saturday afternoon in mid-October. Tickets for the new temporary facility, to be called the Champions Bar, will be on sale from Monday. Henry Cecil's colt has since gone on to establish himself as a great champion, and he is long odds-on to extend his unbeaten record to 14 races in his final start. British Champions Series CEO Rod Street said, "We have worked closely with Ascot to decide on the final capacity. The priority for us is that racegoers have an enjoyable and comfortable day and want to come back" (GUARDIAN, 9/23). In London, Will Hayler writes fans hoping to see Frankel run better call Ascot "quickly with the track announcing on Monday that the extra 1,500 tickets released for Frankel's appearance on Champions Day are expected to sell out by Wednesday" (GUARDIAN, 9/24).
