The eyes of the racing world will be focused on Ascot Racecourse for the 2014 running of QIPCO British Champions Day and all six races from this spectacular finale to the Flat season will be broadcast live on Channel 4.
Almost £4 million in prize money is offer across the final races in each of the five QIPCO British Champions Series categories, making Champions Day the UK’s richest single-day race meeting, giving a fantastic opportunity for the stars of the Flat racing season to secure one of the sport’s most lucrative prizes at one the world’s greatest racecourses.
Now in its fourth year, British Champions Day represents the climax to the series of 27 racedays, all of which have been shown live on Channel 4 throughout the year, providing the sport with many equine superstars to enjoy throughout the Flat Turf season.
A selection of best horses and jockeys from across the globe will assemble at the famous Ascot racecourse to chase a record-breaking prize money across the final races of the season.
Despite initial reservations about the new format, which was introduced in 2011, the first three years of British Champions Day have been a roaring success, with 2012 epitomising the event as the thrilling finale to the Flat season as Frankel signed off his illustrious and unbeaten record in the QIPCO Champion Stakes.
A sell-out crowd of 32,000, a modern day autumn Flat racing record in the UK, at Ascot that day created an amazing atmosphere with the vast majority of racegoers rating it as their best ever raceday.
There may have been no Frankel last year, but the racing was nevertheless sensational with no less than 20 individual Group 1 winners taking part and two of those 20, Olympic Glory and Farhh, took the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and QIPCO Champion Stakes respectively in scintillating and determined style.
In 2014, three Group One contests and two more at Group Two level take centre stage on Saturday, October 18, as the British Champion Series winners are crowned in all five categories.
The highlight is the £1.3 million Champions Stakes (4.05pm) which the great Cirrus des Aigles, who won this race in 2011s, headlining a somewhat depleted field due to the expected poor conditions at Ascot.
Corine Barande-Barbe’s French ace will be strongly fancied to regain his crown after having filled the runner-up spot behind Frankel and Farhh in the last two renewals.
Due to the projected heavy going, star colts Australia, The Grey Gatsby, Kingston Hill, Kingman and Mukhadram are all ruled out of the big race, but it will feature three strong contenders in Kingsbarns, 2013 Epsom Derby winner Ruler Of The World and Kingfisher, all trained by Aiden O’Brien, while fellow Irish trainer Dermot Weld is set to saddle a major player in Free Eagle.
Supplemented by the £250,000 Balmoral Handicap, this valuable mile handicap for which qualification will apply, will be run as the last race on the day with Channel 4 extending its coverage to include all six races on the card for the first time.
The Balmoral Handicap will sit alongside the £1.3m Group One Champion Stakes, the world’s highest-rated race, the £1m Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, the world’s fourth highest-rated race, and the £350,000 Group Two British Champions Sprint.
The Queen’s horse, Estimate, is on course to participate in the opening race of the day, the Long Distance Cup, with the Sir Michael Stoute-trained filly, who won the 2013 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, due to take part following a string of declared non-runners through injury, retirements and the rain-softened turf.
Alongside British Champions Day, Channel 4 viewers will be able to watch the equine stars of tomorrow in action at Newmarket on the preceding day as the course hosts the first ever Dubai Future Champions Day.
This new fixture gives equine juveniles have a high profile opportunity to stake an early claim to greatness on Newmarket’s hallowed sporting turf.
The day features six exceptional group races, something that no other racecourse in Britain can boast, with the day’s two Group One races, two Group Two and two Group Three contests, plus the magical long distance handicap that never fails to deliver, the Betfred Cesarewitch, providing a feast of racing action for all fans of the sport.
Two gripping day’s racing are set to unfold at two of Britain’s most popular racecourses as the Flat season draws to a spectacular conclusion and Channel 4 will have all the action covered on October 17-18.
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Channel 4 will bring viewers comprehensive coverage of the spectacular finale to the Flat season at Ascot, as well as the new Future Champions Day at Newmarket.
For the first time in 2014, all six races from QIPCO British Champions Day will be broadcast on free-to-air television, with coverage now extended to feature the closing Balmoral Handicap at 4.45pm.
Coverage from Ascot begins on the morning of Saturday, October 18, with the The Morning Line at 7.55am, where Nick Luck and the Channel 4 Racing team will be on hand with all the early news, betting, features and tips ahead of the climax to the British flat racing season.
Then from 1.30pm in the afternoon, racing fans can settle back and watch three-and-a-half hours of top class racing live on Channel 4 and in high-definition on Channel 4 HD, starting at 1.30pm.
Clare Balding and Nick Luck co-host live coverage from Ascot, with Jim McGrath and Graham Cunningham offering their expertise from the studio, while on-course reports and interviews come from Rishi Persad.
Also providing roving reports from around Ascot will be Mick Fitzgerald, who shall be situated at the hub of the action with enhanced access to the jockeys changing room ahead of the championship races.
Tanya Stevenson and Brian Gleeson will have all the latest news and views from betting ring, while commentary on all six live Channel 4 races will as ever be provided by Simon Holt.
Ahead of British Champions Day at Ascot, Channel 4 will also screen live coverage of the first QIPCO Future Champions Day on the day before, Friday, October 17.
Nick Luck and Emma Spencer will be on the Rowley Mile to present a fantastic day’s racing, also starting at 1.30pm on Channel 4, featuring five live races, including three Group One contests for two-year olds – the Middle Park Stakes, the Fillies’ Mile and the Dewhurst Stakes.
Further analysis, reports and news from both Ascot and Newmarket can be found via the Channel 4 Racing website – channel4.com/racing – and on Twitter via @Channel4Racing.
Live streaming of all Channel 4 Racing programmes can be viewed via channel4.com, while all shows will also be available via the broadcaster’s catch-up service 4OD.
In addition to Channel 4’s free-to-air coverage, dedicated horse racing channel Racing UK will also be screening live coverage of the finale to the QIPCO British Champions Series.
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Friday 17th October
Dubai Future Champions Day (Newmarket)
LIVE: 1.30pm-4.30pm Channel 4
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C4 Race Card 1:50 Dubai European Breeders’ Fund Fillies’ Nursery Handicap 2:25 Dubai Cornwallis Stakes 2:55 vision.ae Middle Park Stakes 3:25 Dubai Fillies’ Mile 4:00 Dubai Dewhurst Stakes .. Saturday 18th October The Morning Line 7.55am-9.00am Channel 4 QIPCO British Champions Day (Ascot) LIVE: 1.30pm-5.00pm Channel 4
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C4 Race Card 1:45 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup 2:20 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes 2:55 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes 3:30 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes 4:05 QIPCO Champion Stakes 4:45 Balmoral Handicap.
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