Champions Day Lucky 15: Best Bets from Ascot

The latest National Hunt season may be underway, but the 2024 flat campaign hasn’t finished just yet. Far from it, in fact, with the international showstoppers of the Breeders’ Cup Meeting and Melbourne Cup looming ever larger on the horizon. But, before all that, this coming Saturday sees the final domestic Group 1 feast as Ascot hosts the exceptional British Champions Day fixture.

Here, using data presented by NewBettingSites.uk, we pick out four selections to make up an each-way Lucky 15, including in the big Group 1 highlight of the Qipco British Champions Stakes.

Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup - Ascot, 13:20

Those in charge have opted to switch the action to the inner track at Ascot, but that seems unlikely to lessen the stamina demands of all six races, given the soft ground across the course. Nowhere will that be more evident than in the opening event, as a field of nine locks horns over 1m7½f

Kyprios is the overwhelming favourite here and impossible to fault. Unbeaten in six starts this season and a three-time winner on soft ground, he will likely be very tough to stop. However, we can’t be scared of just one horse and siding with a 4/5 shot doesn’t fit the each-way Lucky 15 brief.

Defending champion Trawlerman is the next best in the betting but is yet to encounter ground as soft as this. If he handles it, he should go well, but at twice his price, the one we like to hit the frame is stablemate Sweet William. Boasting form figures of 121 on soft or heavy ground, his most recent effort in such conditions saw him land the Group 3 Henry II Stakes over this trip in May. He will need Kyprios to underperform if he is to win, but the same is true for everything in the field, and we like his chances of hitting the top 3.

• Recommended Bet - Sweet William each way @ 15/2 with BetGoodwin

Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes – Ascot, 13:55

The sprint division has proven one of the most difficult to predict in 2024, particularly over this 6f trip, with no horse asserting dominance over the competition. Montassib arrives as the hot horse following his win in the Haydock Sprint Cup, whilst Mill Stream comes into contention on his last-gasp July Cup victory. And not forgetting the defending champ, Kinross, who excels over 7f but is dangerous over this distance when conditions are testing.

All of the above boast solid credentials, whilst Kind Of Blue and James Delight won’t need to improve much to go close. However, the forgotten horse in the race to our eyes is the Adrian Murray-trained Bucanero Fuerte.

Boasting form figures of 31116 at this trip, this son of Wootton Bassett is extremely consistent, particularly as that sixth-placed effort came on his return from a break when not beaten far in the Sprint Cup. Dropped to 5f last time out in the Flying Five Stakes, he caught the eye when staying on well to go down by just 4l. Four lengths too good for Pora Fortuna in the 2023 Phoenix Stakes, he had no issue with soft ground when scoring on debut and looks overpriced to hit the frame.

• Recommended Bet - Bucanero Fuerte each way @ 28/1 with BetGoodwin

Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes – Ascot, 14:35pm

Andrew Balding’s Kalpana is proving a warm order in the main event for the fairer sex and undoubtedly arrives on a high, having scored at Listed and Group 3 level in her two most recent starts. However, she’s yet to race on anything slower than good and looks worth taking on as she steps into Group 1 company for the first time.

Aidan O’Brien’s Content is the obvious alternative but may not want it quite as fast as this, whilst the market support for Queen Of The Pride suggests she is expected to fare much better than when well adrift in the Yorkshire Oaks last time. We also have a lot of time for the impeccably bred Grateful, who steps down in trip from the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu, but we just prefer another.

As impressive as Grateful’s pedigree is (by Galileo and out of six-time Group/Grade 1 winner Tepin), her breeding is at least matched by that of the Ralph Beckett filly, Doha. Sire Sea The Stars was a six-time winner at the top table, whistly dam Treve matched that tally, including back-to-back triumphs in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Unsurprisingly, Doha has some way to go to match her illustrious parents but has been steadily progressive this season – catching the eye behind Tamfana in the Atalanta Strakes and improving to land a Listed event at Saint-Cloud last time. She tackles 1m4f for the first time here, but her pedigree and style of running suggest the trip may see her in an even better light.

• Recommended Bet - Doha each way @ 16/1 with BetGoodwin

Qipco Champion Stakes – 15:55pm

Last, but not least, the big one, as Leopardstown hero Economics bids to complete the Champion Stakes double. We would love to see him do it but taking 6/4 about a horse whose only previous effort in testing ground resulted in defeat at Class 4 level doesn’t tempt us.

Calandagan is more proven on the ground, but, having been hammered into around the 13/8 mark, he looks short enough in this field. The admirable Los Angeles is hard to fault, having finished with a flourish for fourth in the Irish Champion Stakes but he had a hard race when attempting to make all in the Arc and may prove vulnerable.

At a double figure price, the one to catch the eye is another of the French contingent – Iresine. Hailing from the yard of Jean-Pierre Gauvin, this one's record on soft or worse going reads a perfect seven wins from as many starts, including two in Group 1 company. He lacks the pace of a few of these but thrives in a slog, and with conditions likely to blunt the finishing burst of the star names, we like his chances of toughing this out best of all.

• Recommended Bet - Iresine each way @ 14/1 with BerGoodwin

A 50p each way Lucky 15 returns £45,474.92 with BetGoodwin if all four runners win or £331.47 if they finish in the placed positions.

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