A raft of supplementary entries has boosted the 2025 British Champions Day prize fund to £4,648,750. With few valuable prizes left after Saturday, the seven-race Ascot card will prove pivotal in deciding the 2025 trainers’ title.
On the morning before British Champions Day, defending champion Aidan O’Brien led the way from 2024 runner-up Andrew Balding, with six-time champion John Gosden in close pursuit.
| Position | Trainer | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Aidan O’Brien | £7,416,057 |
| 2nd | Andrew Balding | £6,801,067 |
| 3rd | John & Thady Gosden | £6,211,586 |
With a lead of over £600,000, a strong Champions Day showing from O’Brien may seal the deal. However, with so much money on offer, John and Thady Gosden could feasibly top the table on Saturday evening. With the final fields confirmed, the title-chasing trainers are heavily represented in the five Group 1s on the Champions Day card.
12:55 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup
- First Place Prize Money – £301,271.87
The market suggests the day should begin well for the Gosden team, with 2023 winner Trawlerman a hot favourite to regain his crown. He arrives on the back of a hat-trick, including a brilliant Gold Cup win, and looks hard to beat. Doncaster Cup hero Sweet William adds a strong second string to the Gosden bow.
Balding isn’t represented in the five-runner field, but O’Brien sends two to post. With a rating of 88, Saratoga looks booked for pace-making duties, leaving St Leger third Stay True as the main Ballydoyle challenger.
2:05 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes
- First Place Prize Money – £318,993.75
O’Brien leaves Balding and Gosden to fight it out in a competitive renewal of the sprint. Sporting the Godolphin blue, Spy Chief needs to improve on his seventh-placed effort in the July Cup if he is to land a blow for the Gosdens. Balding’s sole entry, Flora Of Bermuda, has stronger claims, having finished well to take third in the 2024 edition of this.
2:45 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes
- First Place Prize Money – £301,271.87
If the odds are to be believed, Balding’s best chance of closing the gap comes in the big race for the fillies and mares. Kalpana came up short in her bid for Arc glory but was too good for the field 12 months ago and returns to defend her crown.
Last successful with Emily Upjohn in 2022, John and Thady Gosden send the Cracksman filly Danielle into battle here. She has yet to score in Group 1 company but arrives fresher than most following a light campaign.
Aidan O’Brien has drawn a blank in this race since landing back-to-back editions in 2017 and 2018. The 2024 Fillies’ Mile third Ballet Slippers and this year’s Prix Vermeille third Bedtime Story are tasked with ending that drought in 2025.
3:25 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
- First Place Prize Money – £655,709.37
John and Thady Gosden boast the strongest claims in the two most valuable races on the card, starting with this contest over a mile. Field Of Gold disappointed in the Sussex Stakes in June but is the one to beat if rediscovering his exceptional early-season form. Former Ciaran Maher runner Carl Spackler adds to the Gosden challenge.
If there is a minor shock in this race, Andrew Balding’s Never So Brave may be the horse to provide it. Formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the No Nay Never colt has won three of four starts for Balding, including the Group 1 City of York Stakes. Marvelman can’t yet match the form of his stablemate but earned his place in the field with a win by almost four lengths in the Park Stakes at the Doncaster St Leger meeting.
Having come up short against their own sex, Aidan O’Brien’s Exactly and January may struggle against the colts. The Lion In Winter is more interesting but needs to return to the form of his excellent juvenile season.
4:05 Qipco Champion Stakes
- First Place Prize Money – £803,864.25
If the main event lives up to the hype, the 2025 Champion Stakes will be the race of the season. John and Thady Gosden’s Ombudsman and Aidan O’Brien’s Delacroix have already butted heads twice this year. Delacroix produced a stunning finish to claim the Coral-Eclipse, but Ombudsman gained his revenge with an authoritative success in the Juddmonte International. Both Gosden and O’Brien run a pacemaker – Devil’s Advocate and Mount Kilimanjaro – to ensure a true gallop.
Balding also saddles two in the feature. Following a win in the Feilden Stakes, a setback saw Almeric miss his French Derby assignment. However, his comeback win at Ayr took his career record to three wins from four outings. The ex-Stoute runner Fox Legacy has thrived under Balding’s care. This is his toughest test to date, but success at Goodwood by over five lengths suggested he is worth a shot at this level.
The race for the trainers’ title provides an enthralling subplot to a stellar Champions Day. Can Aidan O’Brien move into an unassailable lead or will Balding or Gosden surge to the summit?
