The British Flat season comes to an end this year on British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse.
Many horse racing fans will be making the short trip from South West London to the Berkshire-based racecourse for one of the biggest days of the year in the sport.
With lucrative prize money and prestigious races, it is no surprise that this year’s card has attracted some of the biggest names in Europe. Here is a look at the feature races.
Kyprios Bidding to Complete Dominant Year
Irish horse Kyprios has dominated the stayers’ division in Flat racing this season.
He was victorious in the Ascot Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup.
Aidan O’Brien’s runner is the 11/10 favourite, according to Paddy Power, to win the British Champions Long Distance Cup.
It's another Goodwood and Gold Cup double!
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) July 30, 2024
Kyprios does it again in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes! #ITVRacing | @Goodwood_Races pic.twitter.com/1GEzclchu6
The six-year-old is likely to be one of the leading racing tips for the meeting as he has a 100% record this season, with four wins from four starts.
He has improved with every run, with his best performance of the campaign coming at Glorious Goodwood where he blew his rivals away by four lengths.
Kyprios finished second in the British Champions Long Distance Cup last season.
He was a neck behind Trawlerman.
That run came following an injury that kept him off the track for most of the year.
If he can go one place better this time around, it will cap off an outstanding campaign for the son of Galileo.
Economics and Calandagan on Course to Clash in Champion Stakes
This season’s crop of three-year-olds has been very strong, with City Of Troy the standout runner.
The Derby and Juddmonte International winner is now set to feature at the Breeders’ Cup as he bids to prevail on dirt in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
His absence from British Champions Day means Economic and Calandagan will battle it out in the Champion Stakes.
What a performance!
— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) May 16, 2024
Economics runs out a thrilling winner of the @ABE_Dubai Dante Stakes in the manner of a very exciting colt for @TomMarquand, @WilliamHaggas and Isa Salman Al Khalifa pic.twitter.com/MRGgn1IH9s
Economics landed the Dante Stakes at York earlier in the season.
He returned to the track following a setback to prevail in the Group Two Prix Guillaume d’Ornano.
This is likely to be his first shot at a Group One contest.
Calandagan will be one of the horses taking on Economics.
The French-trained horse ran a career-best in the Juddmonte International, finishing a close second to City Of Troy.
Had the Derby winner not been in the race, the King Edward VII Stakes winner would have broken the course record.
York Winner Content Set for Fillies & Mares’ Appearance
Content gave O’Brien a big boost at York’s Ebor Festival in his bid to win the British Trainers’ Championship this season.
As noted by the BBC, the three-year-old filly won the Group One Yorkshire Oaks, building on her runner-up finish in the Irish equivalent of the race.
The Ballydoyle filly is now set to test herself against some of the leading fillies and mares on British Champions Day.
She will run in the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes.
O’Brien is bidding for a hat-trick in the race as he was successful in 2017 and 2018 with Hydrangea and Magical respectively.
Pretty Polly Stakes winner Bluestocking sets the standard in the fillies and mares’ division this season.
The four-year-old will need to concede weight to the younger fillies as she attempts to improve on her second place in the race in 2023.
British Champions Day takes place on Saturday, the 18th of October and tickets remain available for the showpiece event.
Image credit:
Header image source: Colin Smith licenced under Creative Common
