British Champions Day is British racing’s richest day, and it brings many of Europe’s top horses to Ascot on Saturday, October 17. Five Group 1 races headline seven races worth about $5.7 million in total, and the first race goes at 7:55am ET. Calandagan defends his Champion Stakes crown against Ombudsman, Kalpana goes for a hat trick in the Fillies and Mares Stakes, and Almeraq heads the Champions Sprint.
This is our full guide to British Champions Day 2026, with every race time in Eastern Time, how World Pool betting works, the leading runners in all five Group 1s and our picks.
What Is British Champions Day?
British Champions Day is the final day of the British Champions Series and the richest day of racing in Britain. The card carries five Group 1 races across every distance, from the six furlong Champions Sprint to the two mile Long Distance Cup. The Champion Stakes over 1 1/4 miles carries about $1.7 million and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile about $1.5 million. We convert all Ascot prize money from sterling at about $1.32 to the pound.
Ascot’s ground was officially good at the confirmation stage, with only light rain in the forecast before Saturday.
How World Pool Betting Works on British Champions Day
World Pool is a parimutuel pool run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club that combines bets from many countries into one shared pot for each race. The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s agreement with Ascot runs until 2028 and covers British Champions Day, and last year’s card ran as a World Pool fixture. For US players, a bigger pool means steadier odds, because a single large bet moves the price far less than it would in a small local pool. It also means bigger exotic payouts when a longshot hits the trifecta.
Find out more about World Pool in the MyWinners Help Center →
British Champions Day 2026 Race Times in ET
Ascot runs on British Summer Time until October 25, so every race goes five hours ahead of the East Coast. The two year old conditions race opens British Champions Day at 7:55am ET and the Balmoral Handicap closes it at 11:35am ET. The Champion Stakes, the richest race on the card, goes at 11:00am ET.
| Race | Grade | Distance | Prize Money (USD, approx.) | UK Time (BST) | Post Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two Year Old Conditions Stakes | Class 2 | 6f | $330,000 | 12:55pm | 7:55am |
| Long Distance Cup | G1 | 2m | $660,000 | 1:30pm | 8:30am |
| Champions Sprint | G1 | 6f | $660,000 | 2:05pm | 9:05am |
| Fillies and Mares Stakes | G1 | 1 1/2m | $660,000 | 2:40pm | 9:40am |
| Queen Elizabeth II Stakes | G1 | 1m | $1,452,000 | 3:20pm | 10:20am |
| Champion Stakes | G1 | 1 1/4m | $1,716,000 | 4:00pm | 11:00am |
| Balmoral Handicap | Class 2 | 1m | $264,000 | 4:35pm | 11:35am |
Champion Stakes Preview: Calandagan vs Ombudsman
Eleven horses stood their ground at the confirmation stage for the Champion Stakes over 1 1/4 miles. Calandagan, the five year old trained in France by Francis Henri Graffard, won this race last year by 2 1/4 lengths from Ombudsman, with Almaqam third. He also won the 2025 King George, and this year he added the Dubai Sheema Classic and the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud. He has lost twice this year, in the Coronation Cup at Epsom in June and in the King George in July, when Kalpana beat him by 1 1/2 lengths. Christophe Soumillon rides him for the first time because regular rider Mickael Barzalona is serving a whip suspension.
Ombudsman, trained by John and Thady Gosden for Godolphin, has won the Dubai Turf, the Brigadier Gerard and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes this year. He beat Minnie Hauk by four lengths at Royal Ascot in June, but he ran only fourth in the Juddmonte International at York in August. William Buick rides. The UK bookmakers had the pair joint favorites at around 9/4 early this week.
Jessica Harrington’s Hotazhell won the Irish Champion Stakes at 50/1 last month and makes his final start here before he retires to stud. Ed Walker’s Almaqam, third last year, comes back for another try.
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Preview: Talk Of New York, Rayif and Constitution River
The QEII over a mile drew 13 confirmations, and two of the market leaders were supplemented. Godolphin supplemented Charlie Appleby’s Talk Of New York after he won the Joel Stakes (G2) at Newmarket by 4 3/4 lengths on September 25. He headed the UK betting at around 3/1 early this week, with William Buick booked.
Rayif, the three year old trained by Graffard for the Aga Khan, brings the stronger mile form. He won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (the French 2,000 Guineas) in May and the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville in August, two Group 1 races at a mile. Aidan O’Brien also added Constitution River, winner of the French Derby and the Eclipse this year. O’Brien has said either Constitution River or Gstaad will run here, with the other heading to the Champion Stakes.
Fillies and Mares Stakes Preview: Kalpana Goes for Three
Andrew Balding’s Kalpana won this race in 2024 and 2025, and she arrives as the favorite to complete a hat trick over 1 1/2 miles. Her 2026 form is the best on the card. She beat Calandagan in the King George at Ascot in July and then won the Yorkshire Oaks at York in August, holding off Sparan Nua with Minnie Hauk third. Colin Keane rides her for owner Juddmonte.
Fifteen were confirmed. Jim Bolger’s Sparan Nua, the Yorkshire Oaks runner up, and Joseph O’Brien’s Irish Oaks winner Johanna Walsh look the main threats. Minnie Hauk, a winner of the Epsom, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks last year, runs here too, according to Aidan O’Brien.
Champions Sprint Preview: Almeraq Heads the Market
William Haggas’s Almeraq is the shortest priced favorite on British Champions Day at around even money with the UK bookmakers. He won the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee at Royal Ascot in June and the Sprint Cup at Haydock in September, so he goes for a third Group 1 win this year over six furlongs. Seventeen were confirmed, including his stablemates Binhareer and Division.
Long Distance Cup Preview: Caballo De Mar vs Scandinavia
The Long Distance Cup over two miles lost its ante post favorite when O’Brien ruled out Jan Brueghel after a setback, and he does not appear among the 12 confirmations. That leaves Caballo De Mar and Scandinavia at the top of the betting. George Scott’s Caballo De Mar beat Scandinavia by a neck in the Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp on October 3, ending a run of eight straight wins that included the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, the Goodwood Cup and the Irish St Leger this year.
Aidan O’Brien told the Racing Post that the chance of Scandinavia running is small because the ground may be too quick, and that Queenstown, third in the Cadran, would take his place. Joseph O’Brien supplemented Highwayman, the St Leger winner who gave Saffie Osborne her historic first British Classic as a female jockey.
The Trainers’ Title Race on British Champions Day
British Champions Day also settles the British trainers’ championship. Andrew Balding leads Aidan O’Brien going into the final big prize money day of the season, and Kalpana gives Balding his best chance to add to his lead in the Fillies and Mares Stakes.
MyWinners Picks for British Champions Day
- Champion Stakes: Calandagan. He beat Ombudsman by 2 1/4 lengths in this race last year, and his two wins this year came at the top level in Dubai and France.
- Queen Elizabeth II Stakes: Rayif. He has won two Group 1 races at a mile this year, the French 2,000 Guineas and the Prix Jacques le Marois.
- Fillies and Mares Stakes: Kalpana. She beat Calandagan in the King George and has won this race in each of the last two years.
- Champions Sprint: Almeraq. Two Group 1 wins this year, at Royal Ascot and at Haydock, and the clear market leader.
- Long Distance Cup: Caballo De Mar. He beat Scandinavia last time, and Scandinavia may not even run.
| Race | Horse | Trainer | Best 2026 Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champion Stakes | Calandagan | Francis Henri Graffard | Dubai Sheema Classic, Grand Prix de Saint Cloud |
| Champion Stakes | Ombudsman | John and Thady Gosden | Dubai Turf, Brigadier Gerard, Prince of Wales’s |
| Champion Stakes | Hotazhell | Jessica Harrington | Irish Champion Stakes |
| QEII | Talk Of New York | Charlie Appleby | Joel Stakes (G2) |
| QEII | Rayif | Francis Henri Graffard | Poule d’Essai des Poulains, Prix Jacques le Marois |
| QEII | Constitution River | Aidan O’Brien | French Derby, Eclipse |
| Fillies and Mares | Kalpana | Andrew Balding | King George, Yorkshire Oaks |
| Fillies and Mares | Johanna Walsh | Joseph O’Brien | Irish Oaks |
| Champions Sprint | Almeraq | William Haggas | Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee, Haydock Sprint Cup |
| Long Distance Cup | Caballo De Mar | George Scott | Prix du Cadran |
| Long Distance Cup | Scandinavia | Aidan O’Brien | Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup, Irish St Leger |
| Long Distance Cup | Highwayman | Joseph O’Brien | St Leger |
Bet British Champions Day With MyWinners
British Champions Day gives us five Group 1 races before lunch on the East Coast, all in big World Pool betting pools. Set an alarm for 7:55am ET, and check our weekend horse racing preview for Keeneland, Belmont Park and the Breeders Crown later the same day.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
