Trends point to Ascot success for fancied recent winners

Qipco Champions Day at Ascot turns six on Saturday and that means we have five seasons to explore the key emerging trends that could lead us to backing winners on the stellar card.

Concerns that Champions Day’s mid-October position would mean races lacking quality being run on testing ground and often producing unexpected results have so far proved unfounded.

The 2012 Champion Stakes won by Frankel, which had six runners, is the only Champions Day Group race to feature fewer than eight participants. The weather has played its part. Twice the fixture, during dry Octobers, has taken place on going with good in the description, but even when the ground has been testing the standard has remained high.