ITV Racing Tips – Ascot Champions Day Selections for Saturday 18 October 2025

It’s Champions Day at Ascot and the ITV cameras will be there for all seven races on a cracking Saturday card. Billy Grimshaw has gone through the meeting and lined up his best bets in every contest, from the stayers’ opener through to the Balmoral finale. Here’s how he’s playing it.

12:55 Ascot – Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup

The stayers get us underway with a familiar cast, and TRAWLERMAN looks primed to repeat 2023's heroics. He’s a proven performer at this track and stays all day, while several rivals arrive off interrupted campaigns. Conditions won’t bother him, and the Gosden yard traditionally have their stayers peaking for this fixture. Expect him to travel strongly and take plenty of pegging back once they turn for home. He's short and this race is nothing to write home about, but it should be an easy enough start for favourite backers.

13:30 Ascot – British Champions Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes

WORDS OF TRUTH sets a fair standard among these juveniles and has shown steady improvement with every start. His latest effort hinted there’s still plenty left in the tank, and the step up in trip at  a track like Ascot should suit his racing style. Two year old races here often turn into a test of who handles the track best, and he’s got the balance and temperament to cope. He looks the one to side with for a yard that’s enjoyed a strong back-end to the season and a jockey with few peers.

14:05 Ascot – Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes

INISHERIN has been a model of consistency in top sprints all season and brings genuine Group 1 form to the table. He handles soft or fast ground, travels powerfully, and looks ideally drawn to strike. With several of his main rivals having had tougher campaigns than him, he could be fresher than most and definitely has the tactical speed to sit handy before unleashing his run late. Everything points to another big performance from a horse who’s already proved he belongs at this level and double figure odds underestimate him.

14:45 Ascot – Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes

WEMIGHTAKEDLONGWAY deserves her day in the sun after a consistently high class campaign and i think at the odds she is a stand out bet in here. Joseph O'Brien's charge was beaten under a length as 13/5 favourite on Arc weekend last time out and that was no disgrace, but the formlines that make me think she's a brilliant chance in here centre around her clashes with Whirl and Minnie Hauk earlier in the campaign. If she runs to that form again, she'll be in the three here and don't rule her out from springing something of a surprise.

15:25 Ascot – Queen Elizabeth II Stakes

]FIELD OF GOLD is a horse I've always loved and I am both hopeful and expectant that he signs off his season and possibly career in style here. His turn of foot was electric earlier in the season and while his latest outing was poor at Goodwood, a long break and the stiff finish at Ascot could play perfectly to his strengths. The likely pace angle should set it up for a closer, and with a smooth passage, he has the class to make his presence felt against the older milers. He’s still improving and represents genuine value even at a short price in this betting heat.

16:05 Ascot – Qipco Champion Stakes

OMBUDSMAN comes into the feature race in top form and looks ready for his biggest test yet. He’s progressive, versatile, and his last two runs showed he’s now operating at a very high level. Ascot’s straight will suit his sustained finishing kick, and he can decisively win the epic war he's been having with Delacroix here. There’s plenty of depth here, as always, but this lad sets the standard and is a bona fide Group 1 performer. He's the one they all have to beat.

16:40 Ascot – Balmoral Handicap

A big-field handicap to close the day and WITCH HUNTER fits the profile of past winners - a seasoned miler with experience at Ascot and the turn of foot to cope with a large field. He’s proven on the ground and has plenty of form both in this race and at Ascot itself. He has never won back to back races, which is a concern given he won at Newcastle last time out, but that was probably just a prep for this in which he exceeded expectations. The draw looks fine, and if he gets the gaps late, he’ll be finishing fast with Jamie Spencer guiding him through.