British Champions Day 2025: Preview & Betting Odds

Before the winter season settles in and brings jump races along, Ascot Racecourse invites horse racing enthusiasts to the final meeting of the flat season. 

British Champions Day 2025 will take place on Saturday, 18 October to celebrate the end of the flat racing season at the Ascot Racecourse. The QIPCO British Champions Day Two Year Old Conditions Stakes will open the day as its first race, while The Balmoral Handicap Stakes will be the final race of the season. 

The QIPCO Champion Stakes, which is the featured race of the event, will be held right before the last race. 

Surrounded by the picturesque landscape of Berkshire, only 6 miles, or 10 km, away from Windsor Castle, Ascot Racecourse proudly holds the title of one of the top class racecourses in Great Britain.

One of the reasons that places Ascot Racecourse among Britain’s most popular and well respected horse racing venues is the fact that it stays open all year around. With both flat racing and jump racing tracks, Ascot Racecourse makes sure British race goers always have something to look forward to. 

During the calendar year, Ascot Racecourse hosts 18 flat meetings during the summer season (between April and October) and 8 jump meetings in the winter season (between October and March). 

So if you are looking for one horse racing event to see off the flat racing season, British Champions Day 2025 might be exactly what you are looking for.

Key Dates & Timings

British Champions Day 2025 will be conducted in the third week of October and last for one day. The race meeting will include seven races. It is one of the highlight events for the end of the flat race season not only at the Ascot Racecourse where it is conducted but also for the entire British flat racing community. 

Day One: British Champions Day

• When: Saturday, 18 October 2025
• Gate opening: 10:30 am 
• First race: 12:55 pm
• Headline race: 4:05 pm
• Last race: 4:40 pm
• Gate closing: 7:00 pm

The daily race cards for the British Champions Day 2025 are as follows:

Saturday, 18 October

Going: to be updated

Headline Race at the British Champions Day

The British Champions Day includes 7 races conducted during one day of the event. The variety of conditions, tracks, and runners caters to different interests and preferences of all Ascot Racecourse visitors.

First held at the Ascot Racecourse in 2011, British Champion Day was created by combining together several flat races that had been previously conducted at Ascot and Newmarket. Ascot Racecourse brought in the Diadem Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, while the Champion Stakes, Jockey Club Cup, and Pride Stakes were transferred from Newmarket. 

With time, all races except for Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Champion Stakes changed their names. The Diadem Stakes changed to the British Champions Sprint, the Jockey Club Cup became the British Champions Long Distance Cup, and the Pride Stakes was renamed into the British Champions Fillies’ and Mares’ Stakes.

The Champion Stakes, also known as QIPCO Champion Stakes for sponsorship reasons, remains the featured race of the meeting.

QIPCO Champion Stakes (Saturday, 18 October)

QIPCO Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race that accepts horses of both genders aged three years or older. It is run over the distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 metres).

The history of the Champions Stakes began at another famous British horse racing venue, the Newmarket Racecourse, where it was inaugurated in 1877. The first race was won by the legendary Springfield. 

When the modern race classification was introduced in Great Britain in 1971, the Champion Stakes was evaluated as the Group 1, the highest tier of horse races.

In 2011 the Champion Stakes was moved to the Ascot Racecourse where it became the featured race of the British Champions Day. It was given the title of the richest horse race in Britain with the prize fund of £1,300,000 the same year. In 2012, this title was claimed by The Derby.

Currently, there are 25 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Jockeys for the race are still awaiting confirmation.

The current full list of contenders and their trainers runs as follows:

1. Almaqam (age 4, trainer Ed Walker)
2. Anmaat (age 7, trainer Owen Burrows)
3. Calandagan (age 4, trainer Francis Graffard)
4. Continuous (age 5, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
5. Economics (age 4, trainer William Haggas)
6. Fox Legacy (age 4, trainer Andrew Balding)
7. Goliath (age 5, trainer Francis Graffard)
8. Los Angeles (age 4, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
9. Ombudsman (age 4, trainer John and Thady Gosden)
10. Prague (age 5, trainer Dylan Cunha)
11. Royal Champion (age 7, trainer Karl Burke)
12. White Birch (age 5, trainer John Murphy)
13. Tamfana (age 4, trainer David Menuisier)
14. Almeric (age 3, trainer Andrew Balding)
15. Delacroix (age 3, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
16. Expanded (age 3, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
17. Henri Matisse (age 3, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
18. Lambourn (age 3, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
19. Mount Kilimanjaro (age 3, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
20. Pride Of Arras (age 3, trainer Ralph Beckett)
21. Swagman (age 3, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
22. The Lion In Winter (age 3, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
23. Bedtime Story (age 3, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
24. Minnie Hauk (age 3, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
25. Whirl (age 3, trainer Aidan O’Brien)

Betting at British Champions Day

The British Champions Day offers betting opportunities both online and on the course. As one of the last possibilities to bet on the flat racing event this season, this horse racing meeting attracts the interest of race goers, punters, and bookmakers alike. The fact that the British Champions Day takes place at the Ascot Racecourse, one of Britain’s finest and most popular venues, only adds to the excitement.

You will find odds and offers for the seven races of the day on many bookmaking platforms that have horse racing bets on the menu. 

At 7bet, we offer a wide range of horse race betting markets both for domestic and international events.

Please note that odds for the British Champions Day will be available closer to the event date.

Betting at the British Champions Day includes various horse betting markets, with some of the most popular being:

• Win: Do you think you have identified the horse that will come to the finish line first and win the race? In that case, you can place your wager on that horse, and if your prediction is correct, you will be eligible for a payout proportional to the offered odds and your stake size. 
• Place: What happens if you want to place your bet on a horse that in your opinion has a big chance to win but its rivals are just as good? Predicting the winner becomes more risky, so if you want to add a layer of protection to your bet, you can place a wager on your chosen horse to come to the finish line within the winning top. This means the first two to four places, depending on the total number of runners. Finishing within the winning top is often called being placed, thus the name of the bet. If the horse you chose finishes in any of those positions, your wager will win.
• First Two (or First Three): Want to bet on more than one horse within one race? You can do so by predicting the first two (or first three) horses to reach the finish line. Remember that in addition to naming them, you have to predict the order in which they will finish the race. All the horses you are betting on have to come to the finish line in the order you predicted for your wager to win.
• Two From Three: If you still want to place your wager on several horses within one race but the previous bet sounds a little too risky, you can place a wager on any two of the first three horses to finish the race. This means you have to name two horses that in your opinion will finish the race within the top three. Their exact placement will not have any effect on your bet. You will qualify for a payout if both your chosen horses will take any place within the top three.
• Placepot: A lot of races that take place at the Ascot Racecourse are part of a meeting (an event combining a number of horse races), that is why the placepot wager is a good opportunity for betting at Ascot. For this bet you have to choose one horse and place your wager that it will be placed (i.e. finish in a top winning position) in all of the first six races. If your prediction is correct, you will be eligible for a payout.

Always remember to gamble responsibly and treat betting as a form of entertainment and not means for financial gain. 

QIPCO Champion Stakes Past Winners

Having been around for 148 years, the Champion Stakes has definitely known quite a number of exciting battles and majestic wins. The race records proudly keep the names of all the excelling horses, talented jockeys, and successful trainers. The horses who won the QIPCO Champion Stakes in the past 25 years since 2000 were the following:

Bay gelding Anmaat was 6 years old when he won the Champion Stakes in 2024, trained by Owen Burrows and led by jockey Jim Crowley. It was one of the many victories Anmaat has gathered under his belt since his debut season in 2020. 

He won most of the races he participated in, with an occasional placement in the top three. The only time he came to the finish line outside of the top three was right before his victory at the Champion Stakes. On 5 October 2024 he participated in the French Group 2 flat horse race Qatar Prix Dollar and came fifth. 

Anmaat has entered this year’s competition at the Ascot Racecourse to try and defend his title for the second time.

How to Buy Tickets

The Ascot Racecourse will be offering tickets to three enclosures for the British Champions Day: Queen Anne Enclosure, Winning Post Enclosure, and King Edward VII Enclosure. 

The Queen Anne Enclosure is the most affordable option for the event, with the price starting at £37 per day per adult. Positioned right where the action takes place, you will have the best views of the races from here. With this ticket you get access to the Grandstand, Pre-Parade Ring, and Parade Ring. You can also visit the trackside lawns.

It is possible to buy tickets to the Queen Anne Enclosure with a discount, if you are a group of seven people. In this case, one ticket will cost £32 per adult. 

Prices for the Winning Post Enclosure start at £52 per day per adult. As the name suggests, you will be able to see the horses as they approach the finish line and be the first to see the winners. In addition to this, you get to enter more lawns and bars.

The King Edward VII Enclosure is the priciest of the three, with the cost for one ticket starting at £94. This premier enclosure available to the public gives you an elevated view of the tracks and access to more bars. 

All enclosures come with their own dress codes. Your attire for the day will be determined by where you choose to watch the races from. The Queen Anne and the Winning Post Enclosures don’t have a formal dress code, but you are advised to dress for a smart occasion. Headwear is not compulsory, yet encouraged. Fancy dress, novelty attire, and sportswear are not allowed.

If you will be watching the races of the British Champions Day from the King Edward VII Enclosure, you are required to dress for a smart summer occasion. For gentlemen this translates into tailored trousers, a jacket, and a collar shirt with a tie or a cravat. Ladies can wear a dress or a jumpsuit, headwear is encouraged but not obligatory. Trainers, fancy dress, novelty attire, and sportswear are not allowed. Children and teenagers under 17 are also required to wear smart attire, but babies and toddlers get a free pass.

To enhance your experience at the race, the Ascot Racecourse will be offering a variety of dining facilities. You can check the availability and package prices on the official website and choose the one to your liking. 

If you would like to watch the races from the privacy of a private box, those will also be available during the British Champions Day. You may also want to try the Vista or the Lodges for a more exclusive and private space that still gives you the possibility to feel the excitement of being part of the motley crowd of race goers.

Travel & Transport Guide

The British Champions Day is conducted at the Ascot Racecourse located at the following address: High St, Ascot SL5 7JX, United Kingdom. You can reach your destination by various means of transportation from different directions. 

Trains

You can reach the Ascot Racecourse by taking a South Western Railway train from Reading, Aldershot, or London Waterloo. Depending on your starting point, the duration of your trip will be different.

• From Reading: approximately 27 minutes
• From Aldershot: approximately 30 minutes
• From London Waterloo: approximately 52 minutes

The racecourse is a 7 minute walk from the Ascot train station.

Cars

From London & The North: M4 Junction 6 onto the A332 Windsor by-pass and follow the signs to Ascot.

From the West: M4 Junction 10 to the A329(M) signed to Bracknell and follow the signs to Ascot.

From the South & East: M3 Junction 3 onto the A332 signed to Bracknell and follow the signs to Ascot.

From the Midlands: M40 southbound, Junction 4. Take the A404 towards the M4 (Junction 8/9). On the M4 head towards Heathrow/London. Leave M4 at Junction 6 and follow the A332 Windsor by-pass to Ascot.

Visitors are recommended to pre-book car parking facilities. Visitors with disabilities have access to dedicated parking venues.

Taxis

During Ascot Racedays, Car Park 3 is dedicated to taxi drop offs and pick ups.

QIPCO Champion Stakes Records

Open to thoroughbreds of both genders aged three years or older, QIPCO Champion Stakes allows for one horse to win the race several times during its racing career. And yet, in its 148 years of existence, only one horse managed to achieve this feat and win the Champion Stakes more than once. There are also jockeys, trainers, and owners who have multiple Champions Stakes wins to their credit.

• Leading horse: Tristan with 3 wins (1882, 1883, 1884)
• Leading jockey: Danny Maher (Osboch 1901, Pretty Polly 1905, Polymelus 1906, Llangwm 1908, Bayardo 1909, Lemberg 1910) and Charlie Elliott (Ellangowan 1923, Asterus 1927, Goyescas 1931, Djeddah 1949, Dynamiter 1951, Dynamiter 1952), both with 6 wins
• Leading trainer: Alec Taylor Jr. with 8 wins (Sceptre 1903, Bayardo 1909, Lemberg 1910, Lemberg 1911, Gay Crusader 1917, My Dear 1918, Buchan 1919, Picaroon 1925)
• Leading owner: HH Aga Khan III with 6 wins (Rustom Pasha 1930, Dastur 1933 dead-heat, Umidwar 1934, Nasrullah 1943, Migoli 1947, Hafiz 1955)
• Dam of two winners: Kind- Frankel (2012) and Noble Mission (2014)

Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org