British Champions Day is a celebration of the flat season, crowning champions across every division. The British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes gives female horses the chance to shine in their own race, run over 1m4f of Ascot’s track.

The middle distance is perfect for certain specialists, and with the ground so often on the soft side, it makes it a very open race. Then again, fillies of the quality of Magical and Emily Upjohn have both won the race in recent years, ranking it among the best  races on the day.

The 2026 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes takes place at Ascot on Saturday 17th October at 2.40pm. Here is our tip for the race, along with the full racecard, the key trends and the latest betting offers.

2026 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes Tips

Kalpana is our tip to complete a hat-trick in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes. Andrew Balding’s mare won this race in 2024 and 2025 and has had a superb 2026, beating Calandagan in the King George at Ascot and winning the Yorkshire Oaks. She ran in the Arc a fortnight ago, but Balding says she has come out of France well. She is the top-rated runner on 124 and Colin Keane rides.

14:40 Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1)

Kalpana

J: Colin Keane

T: Andrew Balding

Result

7th 1/1

British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes Favourites Runners & Form

Thirteen fillies and mares go to post for the 2026 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, with Kalpana bidding for a third straight win in the race.

Joseph O’Brien’s Irish Oaks winner Johanna Walsh, Jim Bolger’s Yorkshire Oaks runner-up Sparan Nua and William Haggas’ three-year-old Lilt head the opposition. Aidan O’Brien runs Minnie Hauk, who was second to Ombudsman in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes in June, while Princess Royal Stakes winner Coedana is an interesting outsider.

Check out the runners, riders and latest odds for the 2026 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes below.

14:40 Ascot

Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1)

• Going Good
• Distance 1m 3f 211y
• Class Class 1
• Race Type Flat Turf
• Surface Turf
• Runners 12
• Win Time 2m 29s

Prize Money

• 1st £283,550
• 2nd £107,500
• 3rd £53,800
• 4th £26,800
• 5th £13,450
• 6th £6,750

GG Edge Standard Compact

Win% is implied from the betting forecast

1st 4 (12) Minnie Hauk W: 9st 7lb Age: 4 yo Filly

5/1 (Won)

J: Ryan Moore T: A P O’Brien

OR: 119 RPR: 132 Form: 152830

GG Racing Score 83% Ability 10/10 Draw — Jockey 10/10 Trainer 9.5/10 Course 2.5/10 Distance 7.5/10

2nd 7 (3) 1 tip Believed W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly

16/1

J: Oisin Murphy T: J P Murtagh

OR: 105 RPR: 114 Form: 421331

GG Racing Score 35% Ability 2.1/10 Draw — Jockey 3.6/10 Trainer 0/10 Course 6.7/10 Distance 6.3/10

3rd 10 (10) 1 tip Lilt W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly

6/1

J: Tom Marquand T: William Haggas

OR: 110 RPR: 119 Form: 1-162

GG Racing Score 55% Ability 4.2/10 Draw — Jockey 5.5/10 Trainer 8.2/10 Course — Distance —

4th 12 (5) Sugar Island W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly

150/1

J: Christophe Soumillon T: A P O’Brien

OR: 102 RPR: 111 Form: 430700

GG Racing Score 25% Ability 0/10 Draw — Jockey 0.9/10 Trainer 9.5/10 Course — Distance 1.9/10

5th 6 (11) Tajlina W: 9st 7lb Age: 4 yo Filly

40/1

J: Pierre-Charles Boudot T: F-H Graffard

OR: 107 RPR: 117 Form: 12-325

GG Racing Score 28% Ability 3.3/10 Draw — Jockey 2.7/10 Trainer 1.8/10 Course — Distance —

6th 13 (9) Symbol Of Majesty W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly

40/1

J: William Buick T: John & Thady Gosden

OR: 106 RPR: 114 Form: -15216

GG Racing Score 43% Ability 2.1/10 Draw — Jockey 6.4/10 Trainer 4.1/10 Course 6.7/10 Distance —

7th 3 (1) 6 tips Kalpana OUR TIP W: 9st 7lb Age: 5 yo Filly

1/1

J: Colin Keane T: Andrew Balding

OR: 124 RPR: 131 Form: -12115

GG Racing Score 86% Ability 9.2/10 Draw — Jockey 7.3/10 Trainer 5.9/10 Course 10/10 Distance 10/10

8th 1 (13) Coedana W: 9st 7lb Age: 4 yo Filly

33/1

J: Connor Beasley T: Edward Bethell

OR: 105 RPR: 112 Form: -23161

GG Racing Score 28% Ability 0.8/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 0.9/10 Course — Distance 8.8/10

9th 8 (2) Inis Mor W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly

28/1

J: Billy Loughnane T: David Menuisier

OR: 109 RPR: 120 Form: 013282

GG Racing Score 49% Ability 5.4/10 Draw — Jockey 9.1/10 Trainer 2.7/10 Course — Distance 1.9/10

10th 11 (4) 1 tip Sparan Nua W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly

17/2

J: Rossa Ryan T: J S Bolger

OR: 118 RPR: 127 Form: 113429

GG Racing Score 62% Ability 7.9/10 Draw — Jockey 4.5/10 Trainer — Course — Distance 4.4/10

11th 5 (7) See The Fire W: 9st 7lb Age: 5 yo Filly

28/1

J: Rob Hornby T: Andrew Balding

OR: 113 RPR: 122 Form: -11632

GG Racing Score 42% Ability 6.7/10 Draw — Jockey 1.8/10 Trainer 5.9/10 Course 0/10 Distance —

2 (8) Danielle W: 9st 7lb Age: 5 yo Filly

16/1

J: James Doyle T: John & Thady Gosden

OR: 111 RPR: 120 Form: 51-162

GG Racing Score 43% Ability 5.4/10 Draw — Jockey 8.2/10 Trainer 4.1/10 Course 2.5/10 Distance 0/10

9 (6) Johanna Walsh W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly

6/1

J: Dylan Browne McMonagle T: Joseph Patrick O’Brien

OR: 117 RPR: 127 Form: -31216

GG Racing Score 57% Ability 7.9/10 Draw — Jockey 0/10 Trainer 7.3/10 Course 6.7/10 Distance 4.4/10

Non-runners

Johanna Walsh

+o+e Betting Returns

	Payout
Exacta	£79.20
Straight Forecast	£72.81
Tricast	£493.46
Trifecta	£398.20

Selections

D Express:

Believed

Daily Mail:

Johanna Walsh

Daily Mirror:

Johanna Walsh

Daily Record:

Johanna Walsh

NEWMARKET:

Lilt

POSTDATA:

Sparan Nua

RP RATINGS:

Kalpana

SPOTLIGHT:

Kalpana

TOPSPEED:

Kalpana

Telegraph:

Johanna Walsh

The Guardian:

Kalpana

The Star:

Kalpana

The Sun:

Johanna Walsh

The Times:

Kalpana

British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes Racecourse 

Ascot’s 1m4f is a searching test at the trip, ensuring only fillies and mares who truly stay the mile-and-a-half distance will get home to full effect. The Ribblesdale Stakes, at the royal meeting, is run over exactly the same course and distance, so fillies who performed well in that race have a good grounding for this contest.

There is a significant pace bias at this track. Being towards the front end is extremely important, as it is very difficult to make ground from the rear given how close to the rail the majority of the runners need to race at. Front runners are definitely preferred.

However, draws towards the inside can sometimes be the ones where runners get trapped. It is more beneficial to be drawn out wide and make your way across than be against the rail but unable to get out.

Betting Strategies for the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes

There are so many ways to bet on Champions Day, which is the case in any race which takes place. The British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes is no different.

Each Way

Each-way bets ensure you get your money back if your horse gets placed as well as if they win, at one fifth of the odds. This was very beneficial for those who placed each way bets on Thunder Kiss and Insinuendo in 2022, as they finished second and third at 50/1 and 80/1.

Non Runner No Bet

Many fillies and mares will either not make it to this race, or go elsewhere to target other contests. Betting with NRNB (Non Runner No Bet) terms will ensure you do not lose out if your horse does not make it to the race.

Without the Favourite

Short-priced favourites are not everybody’s cup of tea. When 7/4 favourite Star Catcher narrowly denied 20/1 shot Delphinia in 2019, that would have hurt those who had only bet the win only, or even each-way, on the runner-up. However, on “without the favourite” terms, the price about Delphinia would still have been substantial.

Are There Any Specific British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes Betting Offers?

Here are the latest betting offers from our recommended bookmakers ahead of British Champions Day at Ascot.

British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes Trends & Historic Data

Here are the key British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes trends from the last ten runnings to consider before you bet.

• 5 of the last 10 favourites have won, including four of the last six
• 8 of the last 10 winners started at 5/1 or shorter
• Three-year-olds have won 7 of the last 10 runnings and no five-year-old has won in that time. Kalpana, Danielle and See The Fire are all five
• The Gosden stable has won the race 3 times in the last 10 years and runs Danielle and Symbol Of Majesty
• Aidan O’Brien has won it twice in that time and runs Minnie Hauk and Sugar Island

British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes Past Winners