Thursday morning saw the final fields confirmed for Qipco British Champions Day. Always a memorable occasion, the 2025 edition of this Ascot extravaganza promises to be a classic. The much-anticipated Ombudsman vs Delacroix vs Calandagan clash is on in the Champion Stakes. Elsewhere on the card, Kalpana tackles Estrange in the Fillies’ & Mares Stakes, Trawlerman is the one to beat in the Long Distance Cup, and the Champion Sprint looks as open as ever.
Champion Stakes aside, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes may be the most intriguing contest on the seven-race card. First run in 1955, a Group 1 since 1987, and part of the British Champions Day programme since 2011, this £1,156,250 contest regularly attracts a stellar cast.
Since making its Champions Day debut, the QEII trophy has been claimed by Baeed, Roaring Lion, Minding, and the incomparable Frankel. In 2025, Field Of Gold is the most likely to deliver a performance to match those greats. However, the John & Thady Gosden star is just one of 16 runners in the biggest QEII field since 2019.
Gold to Continue Ascent to Greatness?
First successful with Observatory in 2000 and most recently with Roaring Lion in 2018, John Gosden saddles two as he chases a fifth Queen Elizabeth II Stakes victory. Formerly based with US handler Ciaron Maher, Carl Spackler is a proven top tier performer but has yet to show he can do it in Britain. If John & Thady Gosden end up in the winners’ enclosure, Field Of Gold is the horse most likely to take them there.
Barring a blip in the Sussex Stakes, this son of Kingman has been brilliant in 2025. An effortless winner of the Craven Stakes in April, his subsequent defeat in the 2,000 Guineas can be attributed to jockey error. With Colin Keane taking over in the saddle, he put that right in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. Then came what remains one of the most jaw-dropping displays of the season in the St. James’s Palace Stakes. In a field containing his Newmarket conqueror Ruling Court and French 2,000 Guineas winner Henri Matisse, Field Of Gold blew the opposition away with a dazzling burst of acceleration.
Labelled the next Frankel on the back of that Ascot performance, Field Of Gold started at odds of just 1/3 in the Sussex Stakes. What followed was the biggest Group 1 shock in British racing history, as supposed pacemaker Qirat scored at 150/1, with Field Of Gold back in fourth. Subsequently found to be lame, the Gosden star appears to have had a legitimate excuse for that effort. Not seen since that July outing, he has been given ample time to recover but has lost a little of his aura of invincibility.
Bridesmaid’s Role Again for Rosallion?
The last time 16 runners lined up in the QEII, Richard Hannon saddled King Of Change to spring a 12/1 surprise. Six years on, Hannon is expected to pose the biggest threat to the market leader. Following up a runners-up effort in the 2,000 Guineas with wins in the Irish 2,000 and St. James’s Palace Stakes, Rosallion’s classic campaign mirrors that of Field Of Gold. However, the tale of 2025 has been one of frustration.
Looking in need of the run when third on his comeback in the Lockinge Stakes, he has since finished second in the Queen Anne Stakes, Sussex Stakes, and the Prix du Moulin. The losing margins of a nose, a neck, and a short head must be particularly galling for connections. However, those efforts show he remains a Group 1 performer as a four-year-old, and he did finish over three lengths ahead of Field Of Gold at Goodwood.
Angel Flying High for Burke
Karl Burke’s Fallen Angel is the best of the rest as she bids to become the first filly to claim the QEII since Persuasive in 2017. A rating of 116 leaves her with work to do with Field Of Gold but gives her a 1lb edge over Rosallion under these conditions. While her fillies and mares’ allowance doesn’t hurt her claims, the biggest factor in her favour is her red-hot current form.
Wathnan Racing snapped up the 2024 Irish 1,000 Guineas winner in September of last year but may have questioned the wisdom of that move. After winning four of her first six starts, she failed to score in her first four outings in the Wathnan silks. A hint of a return to form came in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes, and she has exploded into life since. Getting up to deny January in the Prix Rothschild, she followed up in the Matron Stakes and made it a Group 1 hat-trick in the Sun Chariot Stakes. This represents a quick turnaround from that Newmarket effort, but she is unlikely to go down without a fight.
O’Brien Trio Among the Outsiders
Aidan O’Brien is the most well-represented trainer in the field. Unusually for a British Group 1, none of his three contenders are particularly well fancied. Never say never when it comes to O’Brien, but the season’s big disappointment, The Lion In Winter, and the fillies January and Exactly look up against it.
Others to note in a compelling renewal include the rapidly improving Never So Brave, Queen Anne Stakes winner Docklands, and the French raider, Facteur Cheval. But for many, this one is all about whether or not Field Of Gold will be back to his scintillating best.
