You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 British Champion Stakes Preview
The British Champion Stakes is a Group 1 race that is held during Champions Day at Ascot in October. The race is run over 1m2f and is open to three-year-olds and older.
The winner of the race gets an invitation to compete in the Breeders' Cup Turf. The race sees plenty of back-to-back winners with Alborada (98-99), Twice Over (09-10) and Cracksman (17-18), as well as nine before those!
British Champion Stakes Information:
- British Champion Stakes Past Winners
- British Champion Stakes Trainer Statistics
- British Champion Stakes Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Ascot tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Schedule for British Champions Day at Ascot section for links to these.
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How competitive is the British Champion Stakes market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 15 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2021 when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2015 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 122%, whilst on average over the last 15 renewals of the British Champion Stakes, the over-round has been 117%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £117 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 British Champion Stakes Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the British Champion Stakes Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run British Champion Stakes races over the last 15 renewals:
- Cirrus Des Aigles (2:02.52) in 2011
- Calandagan (2:03.19) in 2025
- Almanzor (2:05.94) in 2016
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 15 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the British Champion Stakes next time out, then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 10 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -7.00. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 British Champion Stakes.
When looking over the past 15 renewals, a time of 2:02.52 was set by Cirrus Des Aigles in 2011, trained by Mme C Barande-Barbe and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2020 when Addeybb won in a time of 2:12.29 for trainer William Haggas, who booked Tom Marquand in the saddle.
British Champion Stakes Past Winners
Here are the British Champion Stakes' past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall from which the horse came and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the British Champion Stakes are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 2:03.19 | Calandagan (IRE) 4yo 9-7 (7 of 11) 15/8 | Mickael Barzalona F-H Graffard (FR) |
| 2024 2:08.96 | Anmaat (IRE) 6yo 9-7 (5 of 11) 40/1 | Jim Crowley Owen Burrows (GB) |
| 2023 2:08.42 | King Of Steel (USA) 3yo 9-3 (1 of 8) 3/1F | Frankie Dettori Roger Varian (GB) |
| 2022 2:09.46 | Bay Bridge (GB) 4yo 9-7 (4 of 9) 10/1 | Richard Kingscote Sir Michael Stoute (GB) |
| 2021 2:08.31 | Sealiway (FR) 3yo 9-1 (3 of 9) 12/1 | Mickael Barzalona Cedric Rossi (FR) |
| 2020 2:12.29 | Addeybb (IRE) 6yo 9-5 (11 of 10) 9/1 | Tom Marquand William Haggas (GB) |
| 2019 2:08.42 | Magical (IRE) 4yo 9-2 (8 of 9) 1/1F | Donnacha O'Brien A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2018 2:08.79 | Cracksman (GB) 4yo 9-5 (8 of 8) 5/6F | Frankie Dettori John Gosden (GB) |
| 2017 2:11.75 | Cracksman (GB) 3yo 9-1 (4 of 10) 13/8F | Frankie Dettori John Gosden (GB) |
| 2016 2:05.94 | Almanzor (FR) 3yo 9-0 (1 of 10) 11/8F | Christophe Soumillon J-C Rouget (FR) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the British Champion Stakes have been based:
- GB: 9 winners with an additional 14 placings from 94 runners
- FR: 4 winners with an additional 5 placings from 18 runners
- IRE: 2 winners with an additional 8 placings from 29 runners
- GER: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
- CZE: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 1 runner
- JPN: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 1 runner
2025 British Champion Stakes Replay
British Champion Stakes Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the British Champion Stakes over the last 15 renewals is John Gosden, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from Cracksman (2017 & 2018).
Here are some of the top British Champion Stakes trainer statistics over the last 15 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Gosden | 16-2-4 | -11.54 | -10.72 |
| A P O'Brien | 21-1-7 | -19.00 | -13.84 |
| William Haggas | 15-1-4 | -5.00 | -3.80 |
| Sir Michael Stoute | 7-1-3 | +4.00 | +1.97 |
| Mme C Barande-Barbe | 4-1-3 | +9.00 | +5.91 |
| Roger Varian | 4-1-1 | +0.00 | -1.20 |
| Saeed bin Suroor | 4-1-1 | -0.25 | -1.35 |
| F-H Graffard | 3-1-2 | -0.12 | -0.22 |
| J-C Rouget | 3-1-1 | -0.62 | -1.17 |
| D K Weld | 2-1-2 | +9.00 | +5.75 |
British Champion Stakes Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the British Champion Stakes over the last 15 renewals is Frankie Dettori, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Cracksman (2017 & 2018) and King Of Steel (2023). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the British Champion Stakes are Christophe Soumillon (2 wins) and Mickael Barzalona (2 wins). Two jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 15 renewals in the British Champion Stakes. Ryan Moore has ridden 11 runners in the race without recording any wins, whilst William Buick has ridden 10 without a winner.
Here are some of the top British Champion Stakes jockey statistics over the last 15 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankie Dettori | 8-3-3 | +0.46 | -1.72 |
| Christophe Soumillon | 7-2-3 | +8.38 | +3.68 |
| Mickael Barzalona | 5-2-3 | +10.88 | +6.23 |
| James Doyle | 10-1-3 | -2.00 | -2.70 |
| Tom Marquand | 6-1-2 | +4.00 | +3.10 |
| Jim Crowley | 5-1-1 | +36.00 | +20.00 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 5-1-1 | -1.25 | -2.35 |
| Richard Kingscote | 2-1-1 | +9.00 | +5.00 |
| Tom Queally | 2-1-1 | -0.82 | -0.89 |
| Ryan Moore | 11-0-6 | -11.00 | -5.44 |
2026 British Champion Stakes Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 1, 2, 5, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 3, 4, 4, 1, 2, 2
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 15 / 15 (60%) - Achieved an RPR of 119+ (Career)
- 15 / 15 (66%) - Had 1 - 9 placings (Class)
- 15 / 15 (68%) - Held an OR of 115+
- 15 / 15 (69%) - Furthest Placed 1m2½f - 1m4½f
- 15 / 15 (71%) - Highest Placed is not G2-3/LST/Cl2-3
- 15 / 15 (74%) - Achieved a TS of 82+ (Class)
- 15 / 15 (77%) - Placed within last 2 starts
- 15 / 15 (78%) - Furthest ran 1m2½f - 1m4½f
- 15 / 15 (83%) - No bigger than 40/1
- 15 / 15 (83%) - Achieved an RPR of 114+ (Season)
- 15 / 15 (83%) - Within the first 8 of the market
- 15 / 15 (84%) - In a field of 5 - 14 (LTO)
- 15 / 15 (85%) - Highest Run is not G2-3/LST/Cl2
- 15 / 15 (85%) - Achieved a TS of 90+ (Last 5)
- 15 / 15 (86%) - Carried 126 - 138lbs (Last Win)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Ascot racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the British Champion Stakes. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the British Champion Stakes by adding a tip on the race here.
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British Champion Stakes Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 8+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +31.52, is when runners ran over 1m on debut.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 career places in the class, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-42.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 7 (9,1) [11 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 5 (1,2) [11 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 1 (9,2) [8 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 4 (6,7) [9 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 3 (10,6) [9 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the British Champion Stakes is Longchamp; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Longchamp last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Leopardstown; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 14 winners from a total of 130 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 15 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the British Champion Stakes:
- Galileo (3 Wins)
- Frankel (2 Wins)
- Pivotal (2 Wins)
- Wootton Bassett (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the British Champion Stakes despite multiple attempts:
- Dubawi (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Lope De Vega (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Sea The Stars (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Shamardal (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 15 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Anmaat in 2024, winning for Owen Burrows at odds of 40/1 under the guidance of Jim Crowley. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 15 renewals, there have been 6 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 British Champion Stakes, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the British Champion Stakes
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the British Champion Stakes. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Calandagan Ascot - 1st of 5 (11/10) | King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes |
| 2024 - Anmaat Longchamp - 5th of 7 (6/5) | Qatar Prix Dollar |
| 2023 - King Of Steel Leopardstown - 4th of 8 (10/3) | Irish Champion Stakes |
| 2022 - Bay Bridge Sandown - 5th of 6 (9/4) | Coral-Eclipse |
| 2021 - Sealiway Longchamp - 5th of 14 (59/1) | Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe |
| 2020 - Addeybb Ayr - 1st of 7 (11/10) | Jordan Electrics Doonside Cup Stakes |
| 2019 - Magical Longchamp - 5th of 12 (20/1) | Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe |
| 2018 - Cracksman Ascot - 2nd of 7 (2/5) | Prince of Wales's Stakes |
| 2017 - Cracksman Chantilly - 1st of 5 (2/5) | Qatar Prix Niel |
| 2016 - Almanzor Leopardstown - 1st of 12 (7/1) | Irish Champion Stakes |
Schedule for British Champions Day at Ascot
Here is the schedule for the British Champions Day at Ascot. Each race will be linked to the race blog and detail last year's winner in the table below.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| British Champions Long Distance Cup | Trawlerman (IRE) 7yo - 5/6 | John & Thady Gosden William Buick |
| British Champions Sprint Stakes | Powerful Glory (IRE) 3yo - 200/1 | Richard Fahey Jamie Spencer |
| British Champions Fillies Mares Stakes | Kalpana (GB) 4yo - 11/8 | Andrew Balding Colin Keane |
| Queen Elizabeth II Stakes | Ciceros Gift (GB) 5yo - 100/1 | Charles Hills Jason Watson |
| British Champion Stakes | Calandagan (IRE) 4yo - 15/8 | F-H Graffard Mickael Barzalona |
| Balmoral Handicap | Crown Of Oaks (GB) 3yo - 5/1 | William Haggas Tom Marquand |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this British Champion Stakes Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team, looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for Flat Racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
