British Champions Series Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Champions Day)

Updated: 1598 Horse Racing

We look ahead to the six-race card at British Champions Day which takes place at the Ascot racecourse and carries a purse of over £4m, which runners have won in the Champions Series and will be making the way to Champions Day.

British Champions Series Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Champions Day)
Andy Powell Content Editor

Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.

2024 British Champions Series

The British Champion Series concludes on Saturday 19th October with British Champions Day at Ascot, be sure to head over to our dedicated Ascot racing predictions page on the day to see which runners the OLBG horse racing tipsters are backing to win.

British Champion Sprint Series

There are six races in the British Champion Sprint Series before the finale on British Champions Day, two of the six are run over five furlongs, are the Kings Stand Stakes and the Nunthorpe Stakes whilst the other four races are all over six furlongs.

Remember to head over to the British Champion Sprint Series blog for trends and statistics on the race. The Nunthorpe is open to runners aged two or older while the Commonwealth Cup is open to those aged three only, the other four races are all open to runners aged three or older.

British Champions Mile Series

The Mile Series kicks off with two races open to three-year-old runners only, the 2000 Guineas and the St James's Palace Stakes, there are then two races open to runners aged four or older, the Lockinge Stakes and the Queen Anne Stakes.

The last three races in the series are the Sussex Stakes, the Sun Chariot Stakes and then the final on Champions Day, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

British Champions Middle Distance Series

Considered by many as the favourite category, the Middle Distance Series contains races from one mile and two furlongs to those over one mile and furlongs and ends with the British Champion Stakes on Champions Day.

In the build-up to the finale, there are six prior races in the series kicking off with the Coronation Cup at Epsom, which is followed by the Derby also at Epsom and then the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.

These are followed by the Coral Eclipse at Sandown, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and finally the Juddmonte International at York.

British Champions Long Distance Series

In the Long Distance Series, you will see a lot of the national hunt trainers mixing it with the flat trainers as this series is all about stamina.

Things kick off with the 1m6f Yorkshire Cup at York which is followed by the 2m4f Ascot Gold Cup which takes place during Royal Ascot, three-year-olds get their first attempt in the series in the Goodwood Cup (2m), and then the Lonsdale Cup (2m) at York which is followed by the Doncaster Cup (2m2f).

The St Leger (1m6f) is the only race in the series open to only three-year-old runners and proceeds to the finale on British Champions Day, the British Champions Long Distance Cup.

British Champions Fillies & Mares Series

As it says on the tin, this series is dedicated to the Filly & Mares which finishes with the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot.

The series kicks off with the three-year-old runners with three races open to only those of that age, the Newmarket 1000 Guineas, followed by the Oaks at Epsom and the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The older runners are then permitted to run in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood and the Yorkshire Oaks at York which are the races before to the final at Ascot.

2024 British Champions Sprint Series

Leading Trainers

The leading trainer in the Sprint Series is Charles Hills who has won 8 of the races. Those 8 winners came from Muhaarar (2015 - Commonwealth Cup), Muhaarar (2015 - July Cup), Muhaarar (2015 - British Champions Sprint Stakes), Battaash (2019 - Nunthorpe Stakes), Battaash (2020 - Nunthorpe Stakes), Battaash (2020 - King Charles III Stakes), Khaadem (2023 - Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes) & Khaadem (2024 - Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes).

Not so Good Trainers

Multiple trainers have not had the best of times in the Sprint Series, Richard Hannon (0-25), Roger Varian (0-23), Michael Appleby (0-15), Charlie Fellowes (0-14), David C Griffiths (0-12) & Joseph Patrick O'Brien (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.

Here are the top ten trainers over the past ten years for runners in the current Sprint Series races:

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
Charles Hills59-8-15+60.58+21.22
Charlie Appleby33-5-10+20.50+0.80
A P O'Brien77-4-12-55.67-46.66
Kevin Ryan64-4-16-38.25-24.95
Clive Cox43-4-10-23.50-25.68
Edward Lynam17-4-5+0.00-5.20
Henry Candy32-3-12-11.00-10.95
Archie Watson21-3-12+15.00+10.90
James Fanshawe21-3-7+0.00-3.80
Wesley A Ward18-3-8+7.50+2.34

Leading Jockeys

The leading jockey in the Sprint Series is Ryan Moore who has won 6 of the races. Those 6 winners came with Twilight Son (2016 - Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes), Caravaggio (2017 - Commonwealth Cup), U S Navy Flag (2018 - July Cup), Merchant Navy (2018 - Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes), Ten Sovereigns (2019 - July Cup) & Dream Of Dreams (2021 - Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes).

Not so Good Jockeys

There are multiple jockeys who have not had the best of times in the Sprint Series, Sean Levey (0-19), Kieran Shoemark (0-14), Seamie Heffernan (0-12), Richard Kingscote (0-12), Ben Curtis (0-10) & David Egan (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite riding multiple runners to the race.

Here are the top ten jockeys over the past ten years for rides in the current Sprint Series races:

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Ryan Moore59-6-17-29.17-26.86
Oisin Murphy44-5-10-1.50-11.00
Jim Crowley42-5-12-18.42-21.28
James Doyle46-4-11-0.50-13.75
Adam Kirby39-4-8-19.50-23.08
Frankie Dettori39-4-13-5.00-11.73
William Buick47-3-10-21.50-24.70
Wayne Lordan19-3-6-5.75-0.85
Hollie Doyle18-3-9+18.00+9.15
Cieren Fallon7-3-4+37.00+18.20

2024 British Champions Mile Series

Leading Trainers

The leading trainer in the Mile Series is A P O'Brien who has won 14 of the races. Those 14 winners came from Gleneagles (2015 - St James's Palace Stakes), Gleneagles (2015 - Qipco 2000 Guineas), Alice Springs (2016 - Sun Chariot Stakes), Minding (2016 - Queen Elizabeth II Stakes), The Gurkha (2016 - Sussex Stakes), Churchill (2017 - Qipco 2000 Guineas), Roly Poly (2017 - Sun Chariot Stakes), Saxon Warrior (2018 - Qipco 2000 Guineas), Rhododendron (2018 - Lockinge Stakes), Magna Grecia (2019 - Qipco 2000 Guineas), Circus Maximus (2019 - St James's Palace Stakes), Circus Maximus (2020 - Queen Anne Stakes), Paddington (2023 - Sussex Stakes) & Paddington (2023 - St James's Palace Stakes).

Not so Good Trainers

Multiple trainers have not had the best of times in the Mile Series, Charles Hills (0-23), Saeed bin Suroor (0-16), Ralph Beckett (0-12) & Clive Cox (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.

Here are the top ten trainers over the past ten years for runners in the current Mile Series races:

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
A P O'Brien111-14-35-53.74-42.74
Richard Hannon65-8-24+20.93+16.26
John Gosden30-8-15+4.88+1.05
Charlie Appleby32-5-13+0.91+1.08
Andrew Balding37-4-8+4.00-4.39
William Haggas30-4-10-23.22-19.48
John & Thady Gosden20-4-8+7.70+2.94
Roger Varian39-3-9+8.33+6.35
Richard Fahey21-2-9-16.15+2.43
Sir Michael Stoute21-2-5-6.50-8.11

Leading Jockeys

The leading jockey in the Mile Series is Ryan Moore who has won 13 of the races. Those 13 winners came with Integral (2014 - Sun Chariot Stakes), Gleneagles (2015 - St James's Palace Stakes), Gleneagles (2015 - Qipco 2000 Guineas), Alice Springs (2016 - Sun Chariot Stakes), Minding (2016 - Queen Elizabeth II Stakes), The Gurkha (2016 - Sussex Stakes), Churchill (2017 - Qipco 2000 Guineas), Roly Poly (2017 - Sun Chariot Stakes), Rhododendron (2018 - Lockinge Stakes), Circus Maximus (2019 - St James's Palace Stakes), Circus Maximus (2020 - Queen Anne Stakes), Paddington (2023 - Sussex Stakes) & Paddington (2023 - St James's Palace Stakes).

Not so Good Jockeys

There are multiple jockeys who have not had the best of times in the Mile Series, Jamie Spencer (0-26), Seamie Heffernan (0-16), Adam Kirby (0-15), Kieran Shoemark (0-14), Christophe Soumillon (0-12), Pat Dobbs (0-11), Chris Hayes (0-10) & David Egan (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite riding multiple runners to the race.

Here are the top ten jockeys over the past ten years for rides in the current Mile Series races:

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Ryan Moore68-13-26-16.74-18.05
Frankie Dettori50-11-20+2.83-6.61
Jim Crowley39-8-10+12.28-2.34
William Buick44-7-21-6.24+3.51
James Doyle51-5-14-34.62-27.21
Oisin Murphy33-4-14-4.50+17.85
Sean Levey17-3-7+16.50+8.65
Maxime Guyon10-3-5-4.12-2.45
Daniel Tudhope27-2-5-8.25-12.41
Neil Callan2-2-2+49.00+29.40

2024 British Champions Middle Distance Series

Leading Trainers

The leading trainer in the Middle Distance Series is A P O'Brien who has won 19 of the races. Those 19 winners came from Australia (2014 - Epsom Derby), Australia (2014 - Juddmonte International Stakes), Highland Reel (2016 - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes), Highland Reel (2017 - Coronation Cup), Highland Reel (2017 - Prince of Wales's Stakes), Wings Of Eagles (2017 - Epsom Derby), Magical (2019 - British Champion Stakes), Anthony Van Dyck (2019 - Epsom Derby), Japan (2019 - Juddmonte International Stakes), Serpentine (2020 - Epsom Derby), St Marks Basilica (2021 - Eclipse Stakes), Love (2021 - Prince of Wales's Stakes), Auguste Rodin (2023 - Epsom Derby), Paddington (2023 - Eclipse Stakes), City Of Troy (2024 - Juddmonte International Stakes), Luxembourg (2024 - Coronation Cup), City Of Troy (2024 - Epsom Derby), Auguste Rodin (2024 - Prince of Wales's Stakes) & City Of Troy (2024 - Eclipse Stakes).

Not so Good Trainers

Multiple trainers have not had the best of times in the Middle Distance Series, Andrew Balding (0-25), David Simcock (0-17), Ralph Beckett (0-14), Saeed bin Suroor (0-11) & J S Bolger (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.

Here are the top ten trainers over the past ten years for runners in the current Middle Distance Series races:

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
A P O'Brien146-19-43-25.66-49.82
John Gosden67-14-26-26.54-27.56
Sir Michael Stoute38-7-18+3.75-0.28
Charlie Appleby35-7-12+16.98+4.72
John & Thady Gosden23-4-7-1.00-2.93
Roger Varian20-4-8+0.61+9.02
William Haggas33-3-13-6.60+0.06
D K Weld6-3-4+16.00+8.50
Owen Burrows6-2-2+5.25+1.62
J-C Rouget4-2-2+2.13+0.55

Leading Jockeys

There are two leading jockeys in the Middle Distance Series with both Ryan Moore & Frankie Dettori who have both won 13 races in the series. Ryan Moore winners have been with Highland Reel (2016 - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes), Highland Reel (2017 - Coronation Cup), Highland Reel (2017 - Prince of Wales's Stakes), Japan (2019 - Juddmonte International Stakes), St Marks Basilica (2021 - Eclipse Stakes), Love (2021 - Prince of Wales's Stakes), Auguste Rodin (2023 - Epsom Derby), Paddington (2023 - Eclipse Stakes), City Of Troy (2024 - Juddmonte International Stakes), Luxembourg (2024 - Coronation Cup), City Of Troy (2024 - Epsom Derby), Auguste Rodin (2024 - Prince of Wales's Stakes) & City Of Troy (2024 - Eclipse Stakes). Frankie Dettori winners have been with Golden Horn (2015 - Eclipse Stakes), Golden Horn (2015 - Epsom Derby), Cracksman (2017 - British Champion Stakes), Enable (2017 - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes), Cracksman (2018 - Coronation Cup), Cracksman (2018 - British Champion Stakes), Enable (2019 - Eclipse Stakes), Crystal Ocean (2019 - Prince of Wales's Stakes), Enable (2019 - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes), Enable (2020 - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes), Emily Upjohn (2023 - Coronation Cup), King Of Steel (2023 - British Champion Stakes) & Mostahdaf (2023 - Juddmonte International Stakes).

Not so Good Jockeys

There are multiple jockeys who have not had the best of times in the Middle Distance Series, Jamie Spencer (0-15), Wayne Lordan (0-14) & Robert Havlin (0-11) have all failed to produce a single winner despite riding multiple runners to the race.

Here are the top ten jockeys over the past ten years for rides in the current Middle Distance Series races:

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Ryan Moore68-13-31-28.16-23.82
Frankie Dettori48-13-22-15.54-18.65
William Buick49-7-18-7.52-8.57
Jim Crowley31-6-10+6.65-1.21
James Doyle36-4-12-12.75-12.80
Andrea Atzeni26-4-7-2.39-5.88
Christophe Soumillon11-4-4+23.04+12.12
Oisin Murphy30-2-6-23.25-18.96
Richard Kingscote10-2-3+4.50+3.05
Adam Kirby9-2-2+25.00+12.60

2024 British Champions Long Distance Series

Leading Trainers

The leading trainer in the Long Distance Series is John Gosden who has won 16 of the races. Those 16 winners came from Flying Officer (2015 - British Champions Long Distance Cup), Stradivarius (2017 - Goodwood Cup), Stradivarius (2018 - Lonsdale Cup), Stradivarius (2018 - Goodwood Cup), Stradivarius (2018 - Ascot Gold Cup), Stradivarius (2018 - British Champions Long Distance Cup), Stradivarius (2018 - Yorkshire Cup), Stradivarius (2019 - Lonsdale Cup), Stradivarius (2019 - Goodwood Cup), Stradivarius (2019 - Ascot Gold Cup), Stradivarius (2019 - Doncaster Cup), Logician (2019 - St Leger), Stradivarius (2019 - Yorkshire Cup), Stradivarius (2020 - Goodwood Cup), Enbihaar (2020 - Lonsdale Cup) & Stradivarius (2020 - Ascot Gold Cup).

Not so Good Trainers

Multiple trainers have not had the best of times in the Long Distance Series, Richard Fahey (0-11), Ian Williams (0-11) & William Haggas (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.

Here are the top ten trainers over the past ten years for runners in the current Long Distance Series races:

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
John Gosden36-16-22+3.81+0.08
A P O'Brien84-11-22-53.03-46.16
Andrew Balding49-5-14-9.25-9.09
John & Thady Gosden24-5-17+0.03+5.41
Alan King12-5-8+10.91+6.56
Sir Michael Stoute14-4-8+0.13+0.02
W P Mullins38-3-10-19.50-13.61
Michael Bell7-3-4+9.75+4.90
David Simcock21-2-7-4.67-4.86
Hughie Morrison18-2-2+2.25-4.99

Leading Jockeys

The leading jockey in the Long Distance Series is Frankie Dettori who has won 19 of the races. Those 19 winners came with Flying Officer (2015 - British Champions Long Distance Cup), Max Dynamite (2015 - Lonsdale Cup), Stradivarius (2018 - Lonsdale Cup), Stradivarius (2018 - Ascot Gold Cup), Stradivarius (2018 - British Champions Long Distance Cup), Stradivarius (2018 - Yorkshire Cup), Stradivarius (2019 - Lonsdale Cup), Stradivarius (2019 - Goodwood Cup), Stradivarius (2019 - Ascot Gold Cup), Stradivarius (2019 - Doncaster Cup), Logician (2019 - St Leger), Stradivarius (2019 - Yorkshire Cup), Stradivarius (2020 - Goodwood Cup), Stradivarius (2020 - Ascot Gold Cup), Stradivarius (2021 - Lonsdale Cup), Stradivarius (2021 - Doncaster Cup), Stradivarius (2022 - Yorkshire Cup), Trawlerman (2023 - British Champions Long Distance Cup) & Courage Mon Ami (2023 - Ascot Gold Cup).

Not so Good Jockeys

There are multiple jockeys who have not had the best of times in the Long Distance Series, Daniel Tudhope (0-13), Richard Kingscote (0-12) & Luke Morris (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite riding multiple runners to the race.

Here are the top ten jockeys over the past ten years for rides in the current Long Distance Series races:

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Frankie Dettori46-19-29+15.16+7.35
Ryan Moore54-14-26-12.31-10.39
Andrea Atzeni34-6-15+7.55+9.95
Hollie Doyle11-5-7+11.91+6.06
William Buick42-4-11-24.77-21.40
Tom Marquand15-3-4+10.25+2.51
Oisin Murphy36-2-12-27.75-15.08
Jamie Spencer15-2-2-4.25-7.75
Martin Harley14-2-7+2.33+1.85
P J McDonald9-2-2+11.50+4.16

2024 British Champions Fillies & Mares Series

Leading Trainers

The leading trainer in the Fillies & Mares Series is A P O'Brien who has won 25 of the races. Those 25 winners came from Tapestry (2014 - Yorkshire Oaks), Qualify (2015 - Epsom Oaks), Minding (2016 - Nassau Stakes), Minding (2016 - Epsom Oaks), Minding (2016 - Qipco 1000 Guineas), Alice Springs (2016 - Falmouth Stakes), Seventh Heaven (2016 - Yorkshire Oaks), Hydrangea (2017 - British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes), Winter (2017 - Coronation Stakes), Winter (2017 - Nassau Stakes), Winter (2017 - Qipco 1000 Guineas), Roly Poly (2017 - Falmouth Stakes), Magical (2018 - British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes), Forever Together (2018 - Epsom Oaks), Hermosa (2019 - Qipco 1000 Guineas), Love (2020 - Yorkshire Oaks), Love (2020 - Qipco 1000 Guineas), Love (2020 - Epsom Oaks), Snowfall (2021 - Epsom Oaks), Mother Earth (2021 - Qipco 1000 Guineas), Snowfall (2021 - Yorkshire Oaks), Tuesday (2022 - Epsom Oaks), Warm Heart (2023 - Yorkshire Oaks), Opera Singer (2024 - Nassau Stakes) & Content (2024 - Yorkshire Oaks).

Not so Good Trainers

There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Fillies & Mares Series, Joseph Patrick O'Brien has sent a total of 10 runners to the race without recording any wins.

Here are the top ten trainers over the past ten years for runners in the current Fillies & Mares Series races:

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
A P O'Brien148-25-54+27.21+2.92
John Gosden56-9-19-11.75-14.90
John & Thady Gosden25-5-10-7.17-8.38
Roger Varian36-3-7+20.00+3.71
Mrs John Harrington14-3-5-3.31-1.66
Donnacha Aidan O'Brien5-3-4+5.16+2.89
Ralph Beckett38-2-9-15.00-9.17
Richard Hannon27-2-7+47.00+29.95
Sir Michael Stoute21-2-9-11.12-1.92
D K Weld9-2-5+0.12-0.41

Leading Jockeys

The leading jockey in the Fillies & Mares Series is Ryan Moore who has won 22 of the races. Those 22 winners came with Rizeena (2014 - Coronation Stakes), Integral (2014 - Falmouth Stakes), Tapestry (2014 - Yorkshire Oaks), Legatissimo (2015 - Qipco 1000 Guineas), Minding (2016 - Nassau Stakes), Minding (2016 - Epsom Oaks), Minding (2016 - Qipco 1000 Guineas), Alice Springs (2016 - Falmouth Stakes), Hydrangea (2017 - British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes), Winter (2017 - Coronation Stakes), Winter (2017 - Nassau Stakes), Roly Poly (2017 - Falmouth Stakes), Magical (2018 - British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes), Love (2020 - Yorkshire Oaks), Love (2020 - Qipco 1000 Guineas), Fancy Blue (2020 - Nassau Stakes), Love (2020 - Epsom Oaks), Snowfall (2021 - Yorkshire Oaks), Tuesday (2022 - Epsom Oaks), Opera Singer (2024 - Nassau Stakes), Porta Fortuna (2024 - Falmouth Stakes) & Content (2024 - Yorkshire Oaks).

Not so Good Jockeys

There are multiple jockeys who have not had the best of times in the Fillies & Mares Series, Seamie Heffernan (0-23), Jamie Spencer (0-14), David Egan (0-14), Rossa Ryan (0-12) & Mickael Barzalona (0-11) have all failed to produce a single winner despite riding multiple runners to the race.

Here are the top ten jockeys over the past ten years for rides in the current Fillies & Mares Series races:

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Ryan Moore69-22-40+12.92+6.22
Frankie Dettori53-12-25+6.88+2.04
James Doyle39-4-7+0.25-7.47
Oisin Murphy31-4-9+13.50+3.49
Jim Crowley27-4-6+18.50+6.62
William Buick50-3-9-33.50-30.94
Wayne Lordan19-3-5+9.00+3.30
Hollie Doyle11-2-4-3.80-3.98
Sean Levey10-2-5+64.00+43.85
Chris Hayes5-2-3+4.12+1.79

Article Contributor Information

We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this British Champions Series Preview are at hand, Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team 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

James Banting

Tipster competition assistant

James Banting, a passionate horse racing enthusiast and aficionado, brings a wealth of experience to OLBG, having attended numerous race meetings over the years. His background working with the Jockey Club provides him with a unique insider's perspective on the industry.
Andy Powell

Andy Powell

Content editor

Andy, a seasoned horse racing expert with over 15 years of experience, possesses a comprehensive understanding of the sport, from delving into complex statistical data for flat racing in the UK and Ireland to crafting insightful flat racing blogs for OLBG.

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