Champion Stakes Runners & Riders  

The culmination of the all-age Group 1 season is the Champion Stakes at Ascot in October. The race is the inspiration for British Champions Day, a six-race extravaganza at the Berkshire venue that brings a rounded conclusion to the flat season in earnest.

The runners and riders for the 2025 Champion Stakes are listed below:

Who are the Top Three Favourites to Win this Year’s Champion Stakes?

For horses aged three and older, the Champion Stakes is a defining moment for a number of horses’ seasons. Run over 1m2f, it is the end of season target for so many top class horses, with reputations on the line.

Three horses stand out in the current market for the race based on their performances during 2025.

Ombudsman

A fine winner of the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, Ombudsman then enhanced his already lofty reputation with victory in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York, where he got the better of Delacroix.

Delacroix

Sent off favourite for the Derby at Epsom, Delacroix ran no race whatsoever for Aidan O’Brien, but bounced back with a sparkling victory in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park. Second in the Juddmonte, he then showed his class with a fine performance in the Irish Champion Stakes to land another Group 1 prize.

Calandagan

Runner-up in the Coronation Cup at Epsom, Calandagan bounced back to winning ways with a victory in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint Cloud in his native France. He then returned to British shores to storm to victory in the King George at Ascot, and he is another well fancied contender for the Champion Stakes in 2025.

Champion Stakes Horse Entries & Selections

Horses in the Champion Stakes must be aged three or older in order to take part, with the Classic generation receiving a 4lb allowance from their elders and fillies and mares getting 3lb. A maximum field of 16 can go to post, but only one renewal in the past decade has seen more than ten line up at the start.

Once we know the field in greater detail, GG’s selections will be revealed. These will include the top tips of our leading names in Andrew Mount and Matty Sutcliffe.

Which Trainers Have Historically Had the Most Success in the Champion Stakes?

Having been established in 1877, the Champion Stakes has a long and illustrious history. The leading trainer was the fabled Alec Taylor Jr, a master of his craft in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He sent out eight winners of the contest, including the great Sceptre in 1903.

Among more recent trainers, the late Sir Henry Cecil claimed the race on five occasions, including memorably in 2012 in his final full year as a trainer when Frankel, the apple of his eye, concluded his unbeaten career with victory at Ascot. His widow Lady Jane Cecil secured an equally emotional triumph two years later with Noble Mission.

Aidan O’Brien has only ever won the race once when Magical scored in 2019.

Runners & Riders Past Winners