Qipco British Champions Day 2023: when is it, what are the big races and how to buy early bird tickets

Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot is often viewed as the finale to Flat turf season and features the crowning of the year's champion trainer and champion jockey. As well as the handing out of end-of-season awards, we'll see some top-class names contesting some of the biggest Group 1 races in the calendar, with prize-money of £4 million on offer throughout the day. Here, we run through everything you need to know in the lead-up to an unbelievable day of action.

When is Qipco British Champions Day?

Qipco British Champions Day this year takes place on Saturday, October 21, with six top-class races being staged at Ascot. The day's first race, the Group 2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup, opens the card at 1.25, with the concluding Balmoral Handicap taking place at 4.40.

What races take place on British Champions Day?

The Qipco Champion Stakes is the feature race on an action-packed card and is one of four Group 1 events contested. The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, the Qipco British Champions Sprint and the Qipco British Champion Fillies & Mares Stakes are the other top-level races.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Bay Bridge, ridden by Richard Kingscote, denied Derby hero Adayar by half a length in last year's Champion Stakes, while My Prospero finished a nose back in third. The brilliant Baaeed could manage only fourth.

Kinross last year landed the Champions Sprint for Ralph Beckett and Frankie Dettori, the superstar jockey who on British Champions Day is set to make his final racecourse appearance in Britain with retirement beckoning.

Coronation Cup heroine Emily Upjohn was an impressive winner of the Fillies & Mares Stakes last year, while the Queen Elizabeth II was won by the Roger Varian-trained Bayside Boy.

The Long Distance Cup, won by Trueshan for a third successive year last October, and the Balmoral Handicap, in which the David O'Meara-trained Shelir struck at 80-1 last year, are the day's other two races.

British Champions Day 2023: running order and schedule

Race 1 (1.25): Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2), 2m
Race 2 (2.00): Qipco Champion Stakes (Group 1), 1m2f
Race 3 (2.40): Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1), 1m
Race 4 (3.20): Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1), 6f
Race 5 (4.00): Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1), 1m4f
Race 6 (4.40): Balmoral Handicap, 1m

Please note, timings are subject to change

Have the line-ups been confirmed for British Champions Day?

The fields for the October showdown have yet to be announced, but expect the world's best equine superstars to be on show as top connections bid to end the season in style.

We'll get entries for each race on August 8, with scratchings (October 8) and confirmations (October 16) to follow in the lead-up to the big-race action. Declarations for the six races will be revealed on Thursday, October 19.

How you can buy tickets for British Champions Day at Ascot

You can book now and save on your British Champions Day tickets, with prices starting from £25 until the end of the early bird window on Tuesday, July 18.

Important ticket information

Queen Anne Enclosure: £30 per person/£25 per person for groups of 7+

Winning Post Enclosure: £47 per person

King Edward VII Enclosure: £93 per person

Where can I watch the action on British Champions Day?

If you are unable to make the trip to Berkshire for British Champions Day, the action will as usual be broadcast on ITV and Sky Sports Racing. ITV will kick the day off with the Opening Show before showing the racing in the afternoon, while Sky Sports Racing will provide extensive coverage throughout the day at Ascot.

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