Champion Stakes Tips & Odds

Widely considered as one of the biggest races of the entire Flat season, the Champion Stakes is the highlight of Champions Day at Ascot and always produces a spectacle. Here you can see the latest odds, tips and more about the epic race...

Champion Stakes Tips 

We will display our tips for the race here a little closer to the time...

What is the Champion Stakes? 

The Champion Stakes is one of the biggest middle-distance Flat races in the world, and the feature on Champions Day at Ascot. A Group 1 contest over a mile and two furlongs, the race carries a prize pot of £1.3 million, and is the middle-distance final of the British Champions Series. 

What happened in the 2025 Champion Stakes? 

Awesome French raider CALANDAGAN won again at Ascot in 2025, powering clear of a stacked field and leaving the fantastic Ombudsman trailing in his wake.

The history of the Champion Stakes 

A race with a stunning history, the Champion Stakes was first run in 1877 at Newmarket ,and it has since grown into an elite race which is integral to the calendar. The race often sees the cream of the classic generation take on their elders for a share of the £1.3 million of prize money on offer. 

The Champion Stakes was originally held at Newmarket as part of the old Champions Day, but the concept was revamped and switched to Ascot in 2011, and the race now serves as the middle-distance finale of the British Champion Series. Some illustrious names have won the race over the years, including Brigadier Gerard and Frankel. 

Who is the most iconic winner of the Champion Stakes? 

The Champion Stakes has one of the great roll of honours in the history of the sport, with a plethora of legendary winners etching their name into history over the past century and more.

There were a number of multiple winners during the early years of the Champion Stakes, but more recently there have been some memorable moments. The great Brigadier Gerard won the race in successive years in the early seventies, while the same can be said of Triptych, who won the race twice in 1986 and 1987.

The most iconic winner of the race, though, is undoubtedly Frankel. The Champion Stakes proved to be the tenth and final Group 1 success of the great Frankel's illustrious career, when he was required to deal with both soft ground, and the challenge of the top-class French horse Cirrus des Aigles. He took his final assignment, like everything else during his magnificent career, in his stride, signing off with a perfect record of 14 wins out of 14. Frankel has seen been retired to stud and have sired a plethora of Group 1 winners, including Cracksman - who won the Champion Stakes in 2017 and 2018. 

Are there any trials for the Champion Stakes? 

The Champion Stakes is the finale of the middle-distance category of the British Champion Series, and as such the route to the race is pretty established. Every so often, key contenders will improve throughout the season through more unorthodox routes, but more often than not, contenders for the Champion Stakes tend to take their chance in races such as the Coronation Cup at Epsom, the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, the King George at Ascot and the International Stakes at York. 

Who is the most successful jockey in the Champion Stakes? 

The joint winning most jockeys in the Champion Stakes are Danny Maher and Charlie Elliott, with six wins. Maher won on Osboch (1901), Pretty Polly (1905), Polymelus (1906), Llangwm (1908), Bayardo (1909) and Lemberg (1910), while Elliott scored with Ellangowan (1923), Asterus (1927), Goyescas (1931), Djeddah (1949) and Dynamiter (1951, 1952).

Who is the most successful trainer in the Champion Stakes? 

Alec Taylor Jr is the trainer at the top of the winning charts with eight victories during his career in the Champion Stakes. Taylor won the race with Sceptre (1903), Bayardo (1909), Lemberg (1910, 1911), Gay Crusader (1917), My Dear (1918), Buchan (1919) and Picaroon (1925).