The QIPCO British Champions Day 2020 is set to take place on Saturday, October 17, from 1:20 PM BST (8:20 AM EST / 5:20 AM PST). The culmination of the QIPCO British Champions Series, the event will be held behind closed doors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, you can still watch the British Champions Day live online from home. Better still, we’ll show you how you can use a VPN to live stream the event from anywhere.
Click Here to watch QIPCO British Champions Day 2020 Live Online
Ascot Champions Day, or QIPCO British Champions Day as it’s officially known, features four Group 1 races that are intended to serve as the end-of-season finals of the British Champions Series for sprinters, fillies and mares, milers and middle-distance horses, plus a Group 2 ‘final’ for stayers.
Barring any last-minute dropouts the final fields for the races are now known, with legendary stayer Stradivarius, world-class mare Magical and unbeaten miler and sprint sensation Dream Of Dreams among the favourites for victory as the British Flat season gets ready to go out on a high.
Scroll down to find everything you need to know about this year’s British Champions Day at Ascot.
When is Ascot Champions Day?
QIPCO British Champions Day is held in mid-October each year and in 2020 it will take place on Saturday 17 October.
What time does Ascot Champions Day start?
This year the first race on QIPCO British Champions Day is due to start at 1.20pm, with the six-race card concluding at 4.15.
What are the Ascot Champions Day races?
QIPCO British Champions day features four of flat racing’s elite-level Group 1 races, bookended by a Group 2 contest for stayers and a Class 2 one-mile handicap to round off proceedings.
1.20 The QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2) 2m
1.55 The QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1) 6f
2:30 The QIPCO British Champions Fillies’ and Mares’ Stakes (Group 1) 1m 4f
3:05 The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes sponsored by QIPCO (British Champions Mile) (Group 1) 1m
3:40 The QIPCO Champion Stakes (British Champions Middle Distance) (Group 1) 1m 2f
4:15 The Balmoral Handicap Stakes (Sponsored by QIPCO) (Class 2) 1m
Where can I watch British Champions Day at Ascot?
Last year the Ascot Champions Day card at Ascot was screened live on free-to-air television by ITV and viewers are expected to be able to view the 2020 running live on ITV.
Which horses will be running at Ascot on British Champions Day?
After the five-day declarations there are an impressive 14 horses who have won Group 1 races this season still among the Champions Day entries.
They are Stradivarius, Search For A Song, Dream Of Dreams, Oxted, One Master, Magical, Wonderful Tonight, Circus Maximus, Nazeef, Palace Pier, Addeybb, Lord North, Mishriff and Mogul.
There’s no doubting the star attraction on Saturday afternoon as Ascot plays host to British Champions Day – the richest card in the land.
The six races from the Berkshire track (1.20-4.15) include a quartet of Group 1 contests and a host of star names. The ITV cameras are there for all the action from 1.00 onwards and our tipster has selections for all six Champions Day contests.
How to watch QIPCO British Champions Day on UK TV
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The good news is that you can watch Royal Ascot British Champions Day live online for free on ITV1. In order to live stream the event, you’ll need to go to ITV Hub and sign up for an account (it’s free). You’ll be asked to provide the following personal details: your name, email address, date of birth, and a UK postcode. Note that any UK postal code you enter will work.
Another way you can watch British Champions Day is on Sky Sports Racing. This means you’ll be able to watch at no extra cost if you already have a Sky Sports subscription. To watch online, simply access the Sky Go app. There’s even a way for you to watch Sky Sports contract-free. Now TV provides a Sky Sports Day Pass for £9.99 or Month Pass for £33.99. This includes access to 11 Sky Sports channels.
If you’re traveling outside the UK, you’ll need a UK IP address in order to access ITV Hub, Sky Sports Go, or Now TV. The reason for this is that all of these services are region-locked. Fortunately, ExpressVPN unblocks these services and includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. As such, you can try it risk-free and have 30 days to request a full refund if you decide not to continue.
What can we expect from British Champions Day?
The British Champions Day marks the conclusion of the British Champions Series, a series of 35 British flat races. First held in October 2011, the event takes place annually at Ascot Racecourse and consists of the finals of the five divisions of the series as well as a one-mile handicap race.
British Champions Day is often referred to as the nation’s “richest raceday” with prize money of £4.2 million in 2019. However, this year’s event will be held behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic and sees prize money cut by 40% down to £2.5 million as a result.
British Champions Day race times and entries
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Time (BST) Race Distance Prize Fund
01:20 PM
The QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (Class 1) (Group 2) 1m 7f 209yds £300,000
01:55 PM The QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (Class 1) (Group 1) Six furlongs £350,000
02:30 PM The QIPCO British Champions Fillies’ and Mares’ Stakes (Class 1) (Group 1) 1m 3f 211yds £350,000
03:05 PM The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes sponsored by QIPCO (British Champions Mile) (Class 1) (Group 1) One mile £650,000
03:40 PM The QIPCO Champion Stakes (British Champions Middle Distance) (Class 1) (Group 1) 1m 1f 212yds £750,000
04:15 PM The Balmoral Handicap Stakes (Sponsored by QIPCO) (Class 2) One mile £100,000