WORLD’S BEST CONFIRMED AND SET FOR QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS DAY

QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 18th October will feature four of the top ten horses in the world as Ombudsman, Field Of Gold, Delacroix and Calandagan headline the confirmations for the five Group 1 races made on Monday.

The £1.3m QIPCO Champion Stakes looks like being one of the races of the year with the world’s top-rated horse, Ombudsman, leading 15 confirmations for the ten-furlong contest. The Godolphin-owned four-year-old’s ongoing rivalry with Coolmore’s Delacroix will be settled at Ascot on Saturday with the Aidan O’Brien-trained three-year-old also confirmed for the race – the series between the two currently stands at 1-1. This year’s Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Calandagan, who was second in this race in 2024, will bid to go one better this year, meaning that this year’s QIPCO Champion Stakes will feature three of the eight best turf horses in the world according to the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. Economics will have his first run of the season in Saturday’s showpiece having last been seen in this contest last year, where he finished a close-up sixth. The two supplementary entries for the race are Devil’s Advocate for Godolphin and John & Thady Gosden, as an intended pacemaker for Ombudsman, and First Look, the Andre Fabre-trained four-year-old who won the Group 2 Prix Dollar at the Arc meeting.

Field Of Gold, the world’s joint-second best horse, will make his long-awaited reappearance in the £1.1m Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) which sees 17 confirmed for the mile contest. John & Thady Gosden’s Juddmonte-owned colt has been given time to recover after being found to be lame following the Sussex Stakes where he finished fourth – the three-year-old had previously looked like a superstar when steaking away from his rivals in the Group 1 Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh and the Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. Fallen Angel, too, has proven herself to be top-class when rattling off three consecutive Group 1 victories against her own sex and now steps back into open company for the first time since May. Rosallion has finished runner-up in three Group 1 contests this year, each time by a neck or less, and will bid to add to his impressive Ascot record, as will Docklands, who has finished first or second six times in seven starts in Berkshire, including when beating Rosallion in this year’s Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes. Andrew Balding’s Marvelman has been supplemented for the race having impressively won the Group 2 Park Stakes at Doncaster in September.

The £500,000 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes sees 21 confirmed including last year’s winner Kind Of Blue. Trainer James Fanshawe has already won the race three times since it was renamed in 2011 and is looking to equal Walter Nightingall and Vincent O’Brien’s mark of four successes since the event was established as the Diadem Stakes in 1946. Wathnan Racing hold a strong hand in this race with Lazzat, this year’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner, and Flora Of Bermuda, third in this race last year, also confirmed. Course and distance winner Big Mojo, who took Haydock Park’s Sprint Cup last time out, and No Half Measures, who sprung a shock when winning Newmarket’s July Cup, will look to add more Group 1 glory to their CVs, as will the eight-year-old Art Power who won this race in 2023 and proved age is just a number when taking a Group 3 at the Curragh last month. George Boughey’s Rosy Affair and Francis-Henri Graffard’s Rayevka have been supplemented for the race.

The £500,000 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes could also see last year’s heroine look to defend their crown. Kalpana was a ready winner of this contest in October 2024 and ran creditably in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe just over a week ago – she could bid to become just the third horse to win this race twice since it was established as the Princess Royal Stakes in 1946. She is among 13 confirmed for this race including Estrange, who was an intended runner in the Arc but suffered a late setback, and Waardah, who finished ahead of Danielle in the Group 2 Lillie Langtry Stakes at Goodwood at the start of August. Francis-Henri Graffard has confirmed Latakia, a Group 2 winner at Deauville in August, and Quisisana, who won the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet at the same meeting. Wathnan Racing’s One Look, trained by Paddy Twomey, is a supplementary entry.

Trawlerman will look to cap a dominant season in the staying division with a second career success in the £500,000 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup which sees six confirmed as it is run as a Group 1 for the first time. John & Thady Gosden’s seven-year-old won this race in 2023 then finished second behind Kyprios in 2024 – this year he has arguably looked better than ever when breaking the track record in winning the Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. The Gosden team also send out Sweet William, successful in the Group 2 Doncaster Cup last month, whilst Al Qareem makes a quick return to Ascot having become the first ever three-time winner of the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes earlier in October. David Menuisier has confirmed Sunway whilst Aidan O’Brien has supplemented Group 1 St Leger Stakes third Stay True in addition to confirming Saratoga.

For the first time ever there will be seven races on QIPCO British Champions Day with a new two-year-old race kicking off proceedings. The £250,000 QIPCO British Champions Day Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes sees 19 entered with a strong cast of juveniles set to line up for the inaugural running. Godolphin’s Words Of Truth won the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury last time out whilst Aidan O’Brien’s Brussels was second behind Wise Approach in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes at the end of September – he is one of four potential runners for Ballydoyle who have also entered Group 3 winner Mission Central. Hugo Palmer’s Listed winner Ardisia, successful already five times this year, is another interesting entry for the race.

The card will close as always with the £200,000 Balmoral Handicap with 47 confirmed for the race, which will have a maximum field of 20 with three reserves. Recent Ascot scorer Native Warrior could look to land another big handicap pot whilst Crown Of Oaks, who ran away with a handicap in Berkshire earlier in the year, will also be well fancied for the William Haggas team – the trainer has also confirmed Lincoln Handicap winner Godwinson. The likes of Fifth Column and Great Acclaim bring strong handicap form to the table whilst David O’Meara has won this race three times since 2017 and looks like once again having a strong hand in the race with the likes of Theoryofeverything, Cerulean Bay, Nostrum and Bopedro among those confirmed.

Regarding track conditions for QIPCO British Champions Day, Chris Stickels, Clerk of the Course at Ascot, said: “As of Monday morning we’ve got good ground on the Straight course and we’re good, good to soft in places on the Round course. We’re not expecting much rain through the week, with just a few light showers in the forecast, so I’d expect that we will be racing on a mixture of good and good to firm ground on Saturday.”

Tickets are on sale now with the King Edward VII Enclosure and Winning Post Enclosure both SOLD OUT.

Find out more about QIPCO British Champions Day and buy tickets here.