British Champions Series


The British Champions Series is a series of 35 top British flat races, which culminates in a day-long festival of championship races, known as British Champions Day. It was inaugurated in the 2011 season to draw together some of Britain's key flat races into a meaningful championship, with the hope of generating coverage and stimulating interest among the more casual sports fan. It was believed to have achieved its aims based on an increase of 7% attendance at the race days that were part of the 2011 series, as opposed to a 3.9% increase in attendances across the season's race programme as a whole.
The championships have been sponsored by the Qatari investment group QIPCO since its inception in 2011. In June 2015 QIPCO renewed their sponsorship until at least 2024 in a deal worth more than £50m, the biggest sponsorship deal ever for British horse racing.
The series is split into five divisions - Sprint, Mile, Middle Distance, Long Distance and Fillies & Mares. This series includes all Group One races in Great Britain, except those limited to two year old horses.

Races

Sprint

RaceDateDistanceCourse
King's Stand StakesMid June5 furlongsAscot
Commonwealth CupMid June6 furlongsAscot
Diamond Jubilee StakesMid June6 furlongsAscot
July CupMid July6 furlongsNewmarket
Nunthorpe StakesLate August5 furlongsYork
Haydock Sprint CupEarly September6 furlongsHaydock
British Champions Sprint StakesMid October6 furlongsAscot

Mile

RaceDateDistanceCourse
2,000 GuineasEarly May1 mileNewmarket
Lockinge StakesMid May1 mileNewbury
Queen Anne StakesMid June1 mileAscot
St. James's Palace StakesMid June1 mileAscot
Sussex StakesLate July1 mileGoodwood
Sun Chariot StakesEarly October1 mileNewmarket
Queen Elizabeth II StakesMid October1 mileAscot

Middle Distance

RaceDateDistanceCourse
Coronation CupEarly June1 mile 4 furlongsEpsom
Epsom DerbyEarly June1 mile 4 furlongsEpsom
Prince of Wales's StakesMid June1 mile 2 furlongsAscot
Eclipse StakesEarly July1 mile 2 furlongsSandown
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth StakesLate July1 mile 4 furlongsAscot
Juddmonte International StakesMid August1 mile 2 furlongsYork
Champion StakesMid October1 mile 2 furlongsAscot

Long Distance

RaceDateDistanceCourse
Yorkshire CupMid May1 mile 6 furlongsYork
Ascot Gold CupMid June2 miles 4 furlongsAscot
Goodwood CupEarly August2 milesGoodwood
Lonsdale CupLate August2 miles 1/2 furlongYork
Doncaster CupMid September2 miles 2 furlongsDoncaster
St. Leger StakesMid September1 mile 6 furlongsDoncaster
British Champions Long Distance CupMid October2 milesAscot

Fillies & Mares

RaceDateDistanceCourse
1,000 GuineasEarly May1 mileNewmarket
Epsom OaksEarly June1 mile 4 furlongsEpsom
Coronation StakesMid June1 mileAscot
Falmouth StakesMid July1 mileNewmarket
Nassau StakesEarly August1 mile 2 furlongsGoodwood
Yorkshire OaksMid/Late August1 mile 4 furlongsYork
British Champions Fillies & Mares StakesMid October1 mile 4 furlongsAscot