2024 QIPCO British Champions Day Review

Here we take a look back at the enthralling action from the 2024 renewal of the highly prestigious British Champions Day at the famous Ascot Racecourse.

The QIPCO British Champions Day is an event that never fails to disappoint, and this trend most certainly continued in its most recent renewal on 19^th October 2024. A total of six races took place across the day with plenty of prize money on offer for the winners of each race at Champions Day.

The races that took place this year at Ascot were as follows: the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2), the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1), the QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1), the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1), the QIPCO Champion Stakes (Group 1), and the Balmoral Handicap.

The two races that stood out the most on the day were the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and the QIPCO Champion Stakes, the two richest races of them all at this event. Starting with the former, it is worth £1.15 million to the winner, with it being the richest mile race in all of Europe.

The Champion Stakes is the richest race on British Champions Day, with the 2024 winner receiving more than £1.3 million.

Here, we will take a look back at all of the action from the 2024 edition of QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse.

Race Highlights:

Take a look at the highlights from all of the races on the day at Ascot Racecourse (via Ascot Racecourse on YouTube):

QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (Winner: Kyprios)

The race that opened proceedings on Champions Day this year at Ascot was the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup. Kyprios, the winner of the 2024 Ascot Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, was the horse that came out on top in the Long Distance Cup, with Sweet William and Trawlerman finishing in second and third place respectively.

This was a second ever win in this race for winning Jockey Ryan Moore, who also came out on top in this race back in 2017 with Order of St George. For trainer Aidan O’Brien, this was his fourth triumph in this race, after having won in previous years with Fame and Glory (2011), Order of St George (2017), and Kew Gardens (2019).

QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (Winner: Kind Of Blue)

Next up was the 2024 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes. This year, Kind Of Blue came away as the winning horse after being ridden to victory by Jockey James Doyle. The James Fanshawe trained horse finished ahead of runner-up Swingalong and Flora Of Bermuda in third place.

This was a first-ever win in the British Champions Sprint Stakes for James Doyle, whilst it was a third win for trainer James Fanshawe after also having done so with Deacon Blues (2011) and The Tin Man (2016).

QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Winner: Kalpana)

The 2024 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes then followed as the fourth race of the day. On this occasion it was pre-race favourite Kalpana who came out on top, with the winning jockey being William Buick, whilst it was also a great moment for trainer Andrew Balding. Wingspan and Tiffany had to settle for second and third place finishes respectively.

This was not Buick’s first win in this race, having also done so with Wonderful Tonight back in 2020. As for Andrew Balding, this was his first-ever victory in the Fillies and Mares Stakes.

QIPCO Elizabeth II Stakes (Winner: Charyn)

Then came the third to last race of the day, which was the QIPCO Elizabeth II Stakes. The winner of this prestigious race this year was pre-race favourite Charyn, ridden by Jockey Silvestre De Sousa, and trained by Roger Varian. Maxime Guyon’s Facteur Cheval came second whilst Oisin Murphy’s Tamfana came in third place to round off the three.

This was Roger Varian’s second win in the race as the trainer, having also done so in 2022 with Bayside Boy. As for Silvestre De Sousa, this was his first victory in this particular race at Ascot Racecourse.

QIPCO Champion Stakes (Winner: Anmaat)

The QIPCO Champion Stakes was the richest race of the 2024 British Champions Day at Ascot, with the winner awarded prize money worth £1.3 million. There was a shock winner in store with Anmaat coming out on top despite 40/1 odds before the race that rated chances of victory as remote. It was a win by a margin of half a length in the end after gliding past the pre-race favourite Calandagan in the latter stages of the race.

This was the first victory in the prestigious Champion Stakes for both Jockey Jim Crowley and Trainer Owen Burrows.

Balmoral Handicap (Winner: Carrytheone)

The seventh and final race of the 2024 QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse was the latest running of the Balmoral Handicap. This year, it was won by Christophe Soumillon’s Carrytheone, with Lattam and Witch Hunter coming in second and third place respectively. Pre-race favourite Thunder Run, ridden by Ryan Moore, came down in fourth place.

Moore had already won a race that day, the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup, which was the race that opened the action for the afternoon’s racing on that day.

Excitement and anticipation are already building ahead of the 2025 QIPCO British Champions Day at the legendary Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 18^th October 2025. There promises to be an incredible atmosphere with some incredible racing to boot. There will be a plethora of racegoers attending what looks set to be yet another very memorable day of horse racing action.

There is no better way to experience world-class horse racing at Ascot Racecourse than with an Eventmasters VIP Hospitality Package. Contact us on 020 7989 6500, or via the form below. Book now to avoid disappointment!

Price Freeze for 2025 Packages until the end of October 2024 – click here