🏇 Ascot Racecourse is the place to be for QIPCO British Champions Day, a jewel in the crown of the UK horse racing calendar. See below for the latest ticket information.
British Champions Day is known as the Ultimate Raceday for good reason. A stellar line-up of the world’s best horses and jockeys are under starter’s orders for the fourteenth staging of the event. The nation’s most valuable race day prize money totalling £4 million is at stake. British Champions Day tickets are on sale now.
The finale to the British Flat racing season will see the best horses, trainers and jockeys step out onto the hallowed Ascot bidding to follow in the hoof prints of British and European equine legends. The race day has seen the likes of Frankel, Minding, Stradivarius and Trueshan triumph. First staged in 2011 the event has cemented its place as the finest day of racing anywhere in the UK.
In 2023, Frankie Dettori stole the show with a memorable double before departing to the USA for a new chapter in his racing career. Dettori’s final ride saw him take victory aboard King of Steel in the feature race of the the day, the Champions Stakes.
CHAMPIONS DAY RACES
A total of six races over different distances will decide which horses are truly the best of their time over the five categories. Sprint, mile, middle distance, long distance and fillies & mares make up the British Champions Series.
First out of the stalls is the Long Distance Cup at 1.15pm (tbc) a Group 2 race over two miles. The Champions Sprint Stakes at 1.50pm (tbc) is the first of four consecutive Group 1 (the pinnacle in terms of class) races and will be over in a flash (little over a minute to be precise) as some of the fastest horses in Europe thunder up the finishing straight. At 2.25pm (tbc) the Fillies’ and Mares Stakes will see the best female horses go head to head over one and half miles. Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is run over the classic one mile distance at 3.05pm (tbc).
The centrepiece of an extraordinary day’s racing, the Champion Stakes is at 3.45pm (tbc). With £1m+ in prize money the most valuable mile and a quarter race in Europe has a famous roll call of winners. None more so than Frankel, regarded by many as the greatest racehorse of all-time, who famously won the race in 2012 (pictured above) to end his career with a perfect record of 14 wins from 14 races. Keeping up the family tradition Cracksman (sired by Frankel) won in 2017 and 2018.
The final race of the day at 4.25pm (tbc). The Balmoral Handicap Stakes raced over one mile with a prize pot of £200,000.
THE ULTIMATE RACEDAY
Racing isn’t the only attraction on the day. Off course activities in the Fan Zone, include jockey signings and masterclasses. There also a Champions Day after party once racing has concluded.
A cocktail of world-class horse racing in the stunning surroundings of Ascot Racecourse, always at its impeccable best on British Champions Day. A memorable day is guaranteed! A sell-out is expected so don’t delay in booking your British Champions Day tickets!
BRITISH CHAMPIONS DAY TICKETS, TIMINGS & TRAVEL
🎟️ Tickets are available via the ‘Get Tickets’ link.
🗝️ Gates open: 10.30am
🏇 First race: 1.15pm
🏇 Last race: 4.25pm.
;🎉🎤 After party: 4.30pm onwards.
Note: timings subject to confirmation.
🚊🚗 Travel tips. By train: South West Trains runs a frequent service to Ascot from both Reading, Guildford and London Waterloo. The average journey time is 27 minutes from Reading and 52 minutes from Waterloo. The railway station is a seven-minute walk from the racecourse. By car: Ascot is accessible from the M3, M4 and M40 and parking is available. For details and to book visit the Ascot website.
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