About the race
The Champion Stakes is run over a mile and a quarter (2,000 metres) on turf at Ascot and is open to three-year-olds and upwards. It is the feature race of British Champions Day, the October fixture owned by British Champions Series Ltd and staged at Ascot. Wikipedia records that the race was first run at Newmarket in 1877; it moved to Ascot in 2011. From 2026 it is the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes, after Qatar Racing succeeded its parent company QIPCO as title sponsor of the day. The 2026 running, worth £1.3 million, is scheduled for Saturday 17 October.
The 2025 running on 18 October was won by Calandagan, ridden by Mickael Barzalona for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard and owners Aga Khan Studs SCEA, with Ombudsman second and Almaqam third. The IFHA gave it a race rating of 126.25, the joint-highest in the world for 2025, level with the Japan Cup.
The 2025 running
| Date | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 October 2025 | Calandagan | Mickael Barzalona | Francis-Henri Graffard | Aga Khan Studs SCEA |
From the official result.
Recognition and facts
- Race day
- Qatar Racing British Champions Day, Saturday 17 October 2026, 4.00pm
- Raceday owner
- British Champions Series Ltd; The Jockey Club is the majority shareholder
- Run at Ascot since
- 2011
- 2026 early closing entries
- 45 (published 4 August 2026)
- IFHA ranking for 2025
- Joint first in the world, race rating 126.25
Questions readers ask
When is the Champion Stakes run?
On British Champions Day at Ascot in October. The 2026 running is scheduled for Saturday 17 October 2026 at 4.00pm.
What is the prize fund of the Champion Stakes?
£1.3 million for the 2026 running, according to British Champions Day. Ascot also described the 2025 race as worth £1.3 million.
Who won the Champion Stakes in 2025?
Calandagan, ridden by Mickael Barzalona and trained by Francis-Henri Graffard for Aga Khan Studs SCEA, won on 18 October 2025.
Sources
The rank and rating are from the IFHA's LONGINES World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 Races 2025, published 21 January 2026, which ranks races by the ratings of their first four finishers. Other facts are from the pages listed below.
- IFHA: LONGINES World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 Races 2025 (published 21 January 2026)
- Race Information, British Champions Day
- Past results: The Qipco Champion Stakes 2025, British Champions Day
- QIPCO extends British Champions Day sponsorship to 2028, Ascot Racecourse
- Qatar Racing to become title sponsor of British Champions Day, Ascot Racecourse
- Champion Stakes, Wikipedia