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

Updated: 1868 Horse Racing

Experience the thrill of British Champions Day at Ascot, featuring a six-race card with over £4m in prize money. Discover which Champions Series winners will compete in this prestigious finale, showcasing the best of flat racing at Ascot in October.

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.

2025 British Champions Series

The British Champion Series concludes on Saturday 18th 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 the final at Ascot.

2025 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

There are two trainers who have not had the best of times in the Long Distance Series, Ian Williams has sent a total of 11 runners to the race without recording any wins whilst William Haggas has sent out 10 without a winner.

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

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
John Gosden28-16-21+11.81+6.93
A P O'Brien87-12-24-52.46-45.71
John & Thady Gosden28-6-20-1.22+5.80
Andrew Balding48-5-13-8.25-9.24
Alan King12-5-8+10.91+5.98
W P Mullins38-3-10-19.50-13.61
Michael Bell6-3-4+10.75+5.90
David Simcock20-2-7-3.67-3.86
Hughie Morrison18-2-2+2.25-4.99
Marco Botti8-2-4+11.50+9.39

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 (0-14), Wayne Lordan (0-10), Richard Kingscote (0-10) & 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 Dettori44-19-29+17.16+9.35
Ryan Moore49-13-24-12.46-9.94
Andrea Atzeni31-5-12+7.30+8.40
Hollie Doyle12-5-8+10.91+5.98
William Buick37-4-11-19.77-16.55
Tom Marquand15-3-4+10.25+2.51
Oisin Murphy38-2-12-29.75-17.08
Martin Harley14-2-7+2.33+1.85
Jamie Spencer12-2-2-1.25-4.75
P J McDonald9-2-2+11.50+4.16

2025 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

There are multiple trainers who have not had the best of times in the Sprint Series, Richard Hannon (0-24), David O'Meara (0-19), Roger Varian (0-18), Michael Appleby (0-16), Charlie Fellowes (0-15), Joseph Patrick O'Brien (0-10), Edward Lynam (0-10) & David C Griffiths (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 Appleby32-5-10+21.50+1.80
A P O'Brien71-4-11-49.67-41.66
Kevin Ryan56-4-15-30.25-17.45
Clive Cox41-4-10-21.50-23.68
James Fanshawe22-4-8+10.00+1.20
Henry Candy29-3-11-8.00-8.45
Archie Watson22-3-12+14.00+9.90
Wesley A Ward17-3-8+8.50+3.34
Sir Michael Stoute12-3-5+8.50+2.10

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, Daniel Tudhope (0-31), Sean Levey (0-20), Wayne Lordan (0-15), Kieran Shoemark (0-15), Richard Kingscote (0-12), Seamie Heffernan (0-12), David Egan (0-11) & Clifford Lee (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 Moore56-6-15-26.17-26.76
James Doyle44-5-12+12.50-5.75
Oisin Murphy43-5-11-0.50-9.50
Jim Crowley40-5-12-16.42-19.28
Frankie Dettori37-4-13-3.00-9.73
Adam Kirby35-4-8-15.50-19.08
William Buick45-3-9-19.50-24.40
Hollie Doyle19-3-9+17.00+8.15
Cieren Fallon8-3-4+36.00+17.20
Silvestre De Sousa27-2-6+17.00+5.65

2025 British Champions Fillies & Mares Series

Leading Trainers

The leading trainer in the Fillies & Mares Series is A P O'Brien who has won 24 of the races. Those 24 winners came from 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 11 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'Brien140-24-53+26.21+5.42
John Gosden51-7-16-19.25-18.36
John & Thady Gosden26-5-10-8.17-9.38
Roger Varian33-3-7+23.00+6.71
Mrs John Harrington15-3-5-4.31-2.66
Donnacha Aidan O'Brien5-3-4+5.16+2.89
Ralph Beckett35-2-9-12.00-6.17
Richard Hannon23-2-7+51.00+33.95
Andrew Balding22-2-5-11.17-9.35
D K Weld9-2-4+0.12-0.91

Leading Jockeys

The leading jockey in the Fillies & Mares Series is Ryan Moore who has won 19 of the races. Those 19 winners came with 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 (0-22), David Egan (0-14), Rossa Ryan (0-13), Jamie Spencer (0-11) & Mickael Barzalona (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 Fillies & Mares Series races:

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Ryan Moore63-19-37+0.54-0.26
Frankie Dettori50-12-25+9.88+5.04
James Doyle37-4-7+2.25-5.47
Oisin Murphy32-4-9+12.50+2.49
William Buick46-3-9-31.67-28.38
Jim Crowley25-3-5+7.50+0.42
Wayne Lordan19-3-5+9.00+3.30
Sean Levey11-2-6+63.00+44.55
Hollie Doyle11-2-4-3.80-3.98
Chris Hayes6-2-3+3.12+0.79

2025 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 (0-22), 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'Brien105-14-32-47.74-40.79
John Gosden27-6-12+4.75+0.94
Richard Hannon52-5-18-11.25-4.62
Charlie Appleby29-5-13+3.91+3.08
Roger Varian40-4-10+9.96+7.33
Andrew Balding34-4-7+7.00-2.34
William Haggas26-4-10-19.22-15.48
John & Thady Gosden22-4-9+5.70+2.00
Richard Fahey21-2-9-16.15+2.43
Kevin Ryan10-2-3+41.00+34.40

Leading Jockeys

The leading jockey in the Mile Series is Ryan Moore who has won 12 of the races. Those 12 winners came with 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 (0-22), Seamie Heffernan (0-16), Kieran Shoemark (0-14), Adam Kirby (0-14), Christophe Soumillon (0-12), Pat Dobbs (0-11) & 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 Moore63-12-24-16.24-17.19
Frankie Dettori47-10-19+3.45-5.44
Jim Crowley39-8-10+12.28-2.34
William Buick43-7-21-5.24+3.51
Oisin Murphy35-4-15-6.50+16.70
James Doyle47-3-11-33.75-26.32
Sean Levey17-3-7+16.50+8.65
Maxime Guyon10-3-5-4.12-2.34
Daniel Tudhope27-2-5-8.25-12.41
Silvestre De Sousa23-2-5-16.04-13.62

2025 British Champions Middle Distance Series

Leading Trainers

The leading trainer in the Middle Distance Series is A P O'Brien who has won 17 of the races. Those 17 winners came from 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

There are multiple trainers who have not had the best of times in the Middle Distance Series, Andrew Balding (0-25), David Simcock (0-16) & Ralph Beckett (0-13) 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'Brien137-17-40-20.66-45.00
John Gosden59-12-23-29.54-27.46
Sir Michael Stoute35-7-17+6.75+1.97
Charlie Appleby33-7-12+18.98+6.72
John & Thady Gosden24-4-7-2.00-3.93
Roger Varian15-4-7+5.61+13.52
Owen Burrows7-3-3+45.25+25.62
D K Weld4-3-3+18.00+9.75
William Haggas29-2-11-17.60-7.04
William Muir & Chris Grassick4-2-3+24.00+15.00

Leading Jockeys

Two leading jockeys in the Middle Distance Series Ryan Moore & Frankie Dettori 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, Wayne Lordan (0-14), Jamie Spencer (0-13) & 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 Moore63-13-30-23.16-19.57
Frankie Dettori46-13-21-13.54-17.21
Jim Crowley31-7-11+47.65+23.79
William Buick44-6-17-9.02-7.87
Andrea Atzeni23-4-6+0.61-3.38
James Doyle34-3-11-18.75-16.00
Christophe Soumillon10-3-3+22.13+11.55
Oisin Murphy29-2-6-22.25-17.96
Richard Kingscote10-2-3+4.50+3.05
Adam Kirby9-2-2+25.00+12.60

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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