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2026 Champions Day preview: all the key quotes from connections

By Racing TV

Last Updated: Fri 16 Oct 2026

Read what connections of the leading players have to say ahead of Qatar Racing British Champions Day, live on Racing TV.

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1.30 - Qatar Racing British Champions Long Distance Cup

After roaring back to his very best when defending his Prix du Cadran crown, Caballo De Mar faces another huge challenge up against Joseph O’Brien’s St Leger hero Highwayman in an intriguing Qatar Racing British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot.

George Scott’s staying star built expertly on his Doncaster Cup success when returning to Paris to down Scandinavia at the Arc meeting and now bid for more riches on British Champions Day.

“He’s come out of Paris very well,” said Scott. “He’s given us all the right signs and we’ve been delighted with him.

“The key with him is keeping him fresh and happy. We’ve changed the way we ride him and train him a little bit, and he’s a horse that seems to be evolving all the time.”

Also going in search of a hat-trick is John and Thady Gosden’s Gregory having made it two from two since his return from a long injury lay-off with an impressive performance in Newmarket’s Rose Bowl Stakes.

He is one of two for owners Wathnan Racing alongside William Haggas’ Opportunity, who was last seen finishing third in the Ebor at York.

The winner that day was Alan King’s Daiquiri Bay, who now attempts to recreate the heroics of the Barbury Castle handler’s illustrious three-time race winner Trueshan.

King said: “I hope he is still going the right way. The step up in trip might suit as well, but we are obviously coming out of handicaps into a Group One so I am under no illusions. We are 110 and there are 120-rated horses in it so we have to find a fair bit of improvement.”

Daiquiri Bay heads to Ascot in top form (Richard Sellers/PA)

Having elected to leave Gold Cup hero Scandinavia at home after his dust up with Caballo De Mar in France, Aidan O’Brien will be represented by Queenstown who was a place behind his illustrious stablemate when third in the Cadran.

“Queenstown is a solid horse, two miles will suit him well and we’re very happy with him,” said O’Brien.

“Some of them in the race have form that should finish in front of us, but we think he’s progressive and we don’t think he’s finished progressing.”

The Ballydoyle handler also saddles the St Leger and Prix de Royallieu third Amelia Earhart and added: “Amelia ran a very good race in France and looks like a filly that has a good chance of getting two miles, so that will be interesting.”

Amiloc is a former Ascot winner (John Walton/PA)

Things have not gone completely to plan for Amiloc in his first two outings at two miles, but Ralph Beckett will be hoping it is a case of third-time lucky after a timely success at Salisbury.

“The win at Salisbury was exactly the confidence boost he needed,” said the Kimpton Down handler. “He worked well on the grass at the weekend and I’m looking forward to running him at Ascot again, on a track where he’s shown good form in the past.

“I think two miles is his optimum trip, so hopefully everything goes well.”

Completing the field is Andrew Balding’s Mount Atlas and Hughie Morrison’s stalwart Quickthorn.

2.05 - Qatar Racing British Champions Sprint

William Haggas feels Almeraq’s credentials are “pretty solid whatever the ground” ahead of the Qatar Racing British Champions Sprint at Ascot.

Having suffered a heavy fall in 2025 ultimately led to the retirement of his rider Jim Crowley, the four-year-old has done remarkably well to climb to the top of the sprinting ranks, enjoying Group One success in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at the Royal meeting and in Haydock’s Sprint Cup.

While conditions will not be anything like as testing as they were on Merseyside, Haggas points to his narrow Royal Ascot win as evidence he can be effective on a quicker surface and is happy to forgive his disappointing July Cup effort.

“He is really good. It doesn’t look like he’s going to get his weather to make it a 6-4 shot, but I think he’s a pretty good horse and I think he’s in really good shape. So I would be very hopeful he would go well,” said Haggas.

“He was very good at Haydock. He obviously enjoyed that very soft ground at Haydock, but he did run a very good race at Ascot. If you can put a line through his run in the July Cup, where he was drawn low and saw way too much daylight and I’m not sure he enjoyed the track much, then I think his credentials are pretty solid whatever the ground.

“If he hadn’t run in the July Cup you would be hailing him as one of the greats and I think he is a pretty good horse.”

Almeraq is joined by two stable companions in Division and Binhareer, and Haggas feels the first-named in particular should not be dismissed lightly, having run with credit at the highest level in the Commonwealth Cup, July Cup and Prix Maurice de Gheest.

“I think Division is very much worthy of his place,” the Somerville Lodge handler added.

“We were never planning to go with him until we saw the forecast about a month ago and thought there is a chance this might not be as wet as usual.

“He was drawn one in the July Cup (finished fifth) and two in the Bengough Stakes last time where you had to be drawn high. It has been a mess for him this year, but he is pretty smart.”

Division is one of three representatives for owners Wathnan Racing along with Ed Bethell’s Sprint Cup runner-up Paborus and the James Fanshawe-trained Kind Of Blue, who won this race two years ago and is fresh from a confidence-boosting success on the all-weather at Kempton.

Fanshawe said: “Speaking to Richard Brown (Wathnan racing manager) we thought, right, let’s try to get another race into him before Ascot to give him some confidence.

“We were absolutely thrilled that he got his nose back in front and he thoroughly enjoyed his day out at Kempton. Touch wood, he’s come out of the race really well, so it’s great to get him back.

“All you can hope is that we get there in good shape. Almeraq looks like he’s going to be tough to beat, but you just hope you get there in one piece.”

William Buick will partner Danish raider Great Wish, who was last seen winning a Group Three in France.

“He’s a nice ride to pick up and he ran so well when he won in Deauville,” said Buick.

“I thought he ran really well before that at Royal Ascot (sixth behind Almeraq) and I rode him on Monday and he’s a horse with plenty of class.

“Some of the others if they turn up at their best might be tough to beat, but I’m sure he will run well.”

2.40 Ascot - Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes

“Everybody’s favourite” Kalpana bids to make history with a hat-trick of victories in the Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

Having impressed in winning this Group One prize in each of the past two seasons, the Juddmonte-owned five-year-old is out to become the first ever three-time winner on British Champions Day, which was first staged in 2011.

She looked better than ever when beating the boys in the King George over the course and distance in July and after adding a fourth top-level win her CV in the Yorkshire Oaks hopes were high ahead of her second tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe a fortnight ago.

Ultimately she came up short again, this time finishing fifth having come home seventh 12 months ago, but title-chasing trainer Andrew Balding is hopeful she can repeat the feat she managed last year by bouncing back to winning ways in Berkshire.

“She is definitely my favourite because she’s been such a joy to have in the yard for this long,” said the Kingsclere handler.

“Obviously Alcohol Free won four Group Ones including a Sussex Stakes and a Cheveley Park and was extraordinary, but Kalpana is such a delight to have anything to do with and we are very proud of her achievements and particularly fond of her as a horse – she is everybody’s favourite.

“I would rather get drawn out a bit (drawn in stall one), but Colin (Keane) has been faultless on her at Ascot in the past and I’m sure he’ll work it out. You hope she can jump well and get the position he wants.”

While Kalpana is a hot favourite to dispatch of her weekend rivals, Balding feels her task is far from straightforward.

“The thing is there are three-year-olds in there, she won it as a three-year-old and if they are improvers they are pretty tough to beat if they are good enough,” he added.

“I’m not taking anything for granted and she is going to have to be at her best to win it.

“The King George, Arc and this were the targets. We are following the same route and the only thing we changed from last season was the Yorkshire Oaks instead of the September Stakes. We are guessing slightly because it is difficult to read with a horse of this nature, but we have followed the same programme step for step and we’re just hoping we get the same result.”

The three-year-old contingent Balding mentions is headed by Joseph O’Brien’s Irish Oaks heroine Johanna Walsh, but she was well beaten when sixth behind Kalpana at York during the summer.

Another intriguing contender from the Classic generation is the William Haggas-trained Lilt, who is very much unexposed following just four lifetime starts and her runner-up finish to O’Brien’s Epsom Oaks winner Thundering On in the Blandford Stakes at the Curragh last month reads well.

“It is very interesting as her work has been very good since that race and I immediately thought about a mile and a half. I wonder whether it was just a bit of rustiness (having been off the track since June) or something else and whether a mile and a half at Ascot is actually what she needs,” said Haggas.

“The ground is going to be nice for her – she would like to get her toe in but it is not going to be firm – so it will give her every chance of getting the trip.

“I’m not convinced she wants a mile and a half, but it is worth a go and it is end of term. We could have gone for the Prix de l’Opera but we’ve missed that, so a mile and a half it is.”

Aidan O’Brien’s Minnie Hauk has struggled to discover her excellent three-year-old form from last season, most recently finishing 10th in the Arc, but the Ballydoyle handler is hopeful of an improved performance on what could well be her swansong.

“It’s possible it could be her last run, not definite. If she was to go again she would have the Breeders’ Cup, but it’s only two weeks away,” he said.

“We just felt in the Arc she got trapped in there off a very slow pace and she’s a filly who likes a nice, evenly-run mile and a half, but we felt she ran very well.

“Up to the Arc she did have problems with corns and didn’t have a clear run, but since then she’s been very good and everything has gone well since then.”

3.20 - Queen Elizabeth II Stakes

William Buick is full of belief as the supplemented Talk Of New York faces the toughest assignment of his career to date in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

The heir apparent to Notable Speech’s lofty perch as number one miler at Charlie Appleby’s Moulton Paddocks base, the son of Wootton Bassett was steadily brought along by his team prior to Royal Ascot where he was an honest third behind Bow Echo and the reopposing Gstaad in the St James’s Palace Stakes

A shock odds-on Goodwood defeat was rectified when dazzling in the Joel Stakes and with his elder stablemate heading Stateside for the Breeders’ Cup, Talk Of New York gets the chance to grab the British Champions Day headlines.

A general view of Talk Of New York ridden by William Buick (right) on their way to winning the Betway Joel Stakes (Joe Giddens/PA)

Buick said: “I’m delighted he’s been supplemented, he’s a very exciting horse who put it all together in the Joel Stakes.

“I’ve sat on him this week and he’s doing everything right so it will be very exciting to see how he matches up to the horses that are proven at that level.”

The only horse ahead of Talk Of New York in betting lists is Aidan O’Brien’s Irish 2,000 Guineas hero Gstaad, who no longer has old foe Bow Echo to worry about.

Having pondered over a move up in distance, O’Brien has elected to keep the colt over the distance he has performed with distinction this term, forming part of a two-pronged Ballydoyle challenge alongside French Derby runner-up Hawk Mountain who drops back to a mile for the first time since winning the Futurity Trophy.

Winning connections with Gstaad after the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Evan Treacy/PA)

O’Brien said: “There is a good chance he (Gstaad) can improve on his last couple of runs. We think he’s a very good horse and I might have messed up the tactics a little the last day in France as they didn’t go overly fast and obviously Longchamp is a much quicker mile than most places.

“It is possible we haven’t seen the best of him and we always thought Ascot was going to suit him. Obviously he won a Coventry there and it’s a strong mile, which might really suit him looking at the way he races.

“We’re looking forward to him and hopefully it should be an uncomplicated race.”

He added: “Hawk Mountain is coming back to a mile for the first time this year and that will be interesting. With his last couple of disappointing runs the horses were a little bit under the weather and we weren’t sure if he was staying. We felt a straight mile in Ascot would suit him.”

Rayif and Mickael Barzalona after winning the Prix Jacques le Marois (Neil Morrice/PA)

French representation comes in the form of Francis-Henri Graffard’s French 2000 Guineas hero Rayif, who has been kept fresh since edging out Karl Burke’s Zeus Olympios (also in this line-up) for Prix Jacques le Marois glory in August.

Nemone Routh, French racing manager and director for the Aga Khan Studs, said: “Rayif won the French Guineas on a softish surface, whereas two of the races he has won at Deauville have been on fast ground, so he is completely ground indifferent. The straight track is not a concern for him either.

“We did not run Rayif in the Prix du Moulin because it was only three weeks after the Marois, plus we wanted to give Erdenali a shot at a Group One.”

Ed Walker’s Ten Bob Tony has become a crack operator in this division since landing the Queen Anne Stakes at 50-1 at the Royal meeting and now returns to the scene of his finest hour.

Ten Bob Tony and jockey Kieran Shoemark in the winner’s enclosure after winning the Queen Anne Stakes (John Walton/PA)

Second that day was William Haggas’ More Thunder, something of a perennial bridesmaid earlier in the season but back in the winner’s enclosure over seven furlongs when last seen at Doncaster.

“He is a hostage to fortune in a way. He definitely needs riding cold and letting warm into the race,” explained Haggas, who also saddles Needle Match in the colours of owner Saeed Suhail.

“He ran great in the Lockinge and really well in the Queen Anne. He has got one in him I’m sure which is why we put Needle Match in and he will go forward.

“I still think a mile is well within his capabilities. He’s a 10-1 shot and rightfully so, but he is a pretty good horse.”

Ascot regulars Docklands (Harry Eustace) and Dancing Gemini (Roger Teal) add further depth to the Group One event, with Eve Johnson Houghton also running Zavateri in what will be his final appearance before departing for stud.

Johnson Houghton said: “He’s in really, really good form. It’s obviously a very, very tough race but it’s a championship race, why wouldn’t it be?

“We’re very hopeful that he’ll run another big race, he’s never let us down and I think he’ll run a big one.”

4.00 - Qatar Racing Champion Stakes

Calandagan is expected to put up a staunch defence of his crown in the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

A comprehensive victory over Ombudsman 12 months ago was the third leg of a Group One five-timer for Francis-Graffard’s globetrotting superstar, a run which also included victories in the King George, the Japan Cup and Dubai Sheema Classic.

The five-year-old was the highest-rated horse in the world following his March success at Meydan and while he subsequently floundered in a soft-ground Coronation Cup at Epsom, a return to winning ways at Saint-Cloud and a runner-up finish to Kalpana when bidding for a second King George win in July restored some order.

With old rival Ombudsman heading the opposition, Calandagan has plenty on his plate on his return from a near three-month break, but connections are confident he is fit and firing.

“I thought it was a massive performance on Champions Day last year. We had a few question marks because we were viewing it as a prep for the Japan Cup and weren’t sure whether the drop back to 10 furlongs would be suitable. He blew everyone away that day and was very impressive.

“In terms of ratings, last year’s Champion Stakes is his best performance. That gave us huge satisfaction and after that we took him very seriously. We went into the Japan Cup thinking we had a proper Group One horse.”

With regular rider Mickael Barzalona sidelined by a suspension he picked up on Arc weekend two weeks ago, Christophe Soumillon will be on Calandagan’s back for the first time this weekend.

Christophe Soumillon rides Calandagan for the first time (Joe Giddens/PA)

“Mickael would obviously have been our first choice, but we soon realised that his ban was not going to be lifted,” Routh added.

“We spoke with Francis, who put a list of names to us, and we felt it made sense to choose Christophe. He knows our organisation very well, is a very good big-race jockey and was in tremendous form over Arc weekend.”

John and Thady Gosden’s Ombudsman looked better than ever when going back-to-back in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, but a fourth-place finish in the Juddmonte International at York leaves him with some questions to answer.

Jockey William Buick said: “It should be beautiful ground for him. The ground was borderline soft at York last time and there was plenty said about it at the time, but that sort of ground blunts his speed.

“Last year it was a race of stamina with the pace they went, but we’re another year on so we’ll see how this year goes.”

Ombudsman winning at Royal Ascot in June (Mike Egerton/PA)

Bay City Roller has enjoyed a superb campaign for George Scott, with 10-length Coronation Cup romp followed by consecutive runner-up efforts to Daryz, most recently in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

While that effort was just 13 days ago, Scott views the quick turnaround as more of a positive than a negative.

“He’s come out of the race in Paris really well. He’s a very easy horse to get a read on and seems to thrive on his racing,” said the Newmarket handler.

“Arguably his two career-best performances have come on the back of a two-week break, so he’s bright and well and all set for the weekend.

“He’s been a model of consistency throughout his career, especially this year, and he’s in fantastic shape. His optimum trip is probably a mile and a half, but 10 furlongs is no concern. Ascot is a stiff 10 furlongs and that wouldn’t worry me at all.

“Ombudsman is the king around Ascot, Calandagan was the world’s best horse last year and Almaqam won the Tattersalls Gold Cup. It’s a fantastic race to be part of and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Aidan O’Brien gave serious consideration to dropping Constitution River back to a mile this weekend, even supplementing him for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Monday at a cost of £70,000.

However, the Ballydoyle handler has ultimately decided to stick to a mile and a quarter with his French Derby and Coral-Eclipse hero, giving him an opportunity to bounce back from defeat at York and in the Irish Champion Stakes.

“We always thought Constitution River had pace enough for a mile and in his last two runs he kind of went to the half-furlong marker and didn’t really finish off,” O’Brien said.

“We felt in York there were reasons for that – the pace was very strong and he got hung up on it early and was in a gear too high the whole race – and then he went to Leopardstown and it was a little bit the same. He went there kind of early because the pace dropped away in front of him, he went to the half-furlong marker and kind of emptied out.

“We weren’t sure at that time if he wasn’t staying or what, but it’s very possible with the health of the horses at that time that he was getting tired. When there’s something going on for a while, like ourselves, you will tire quicker.

“To be fair to the horse we felt we should do it (a mile and a quarter) again.”

Ed Walker’s Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Almaqam and Ombudsman’s stablemate and pacemaker Devil’s Advocate complete the stellar field.

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