Champions Day at Ascot, annually held in October, is an absolute favourite in the British flat racing calendar. The sport’s finest trainers, jockeys and horses descend on the prestigious course, hoping to be crowned champions of the season, and with so many stars on show, it’s no surprise that tens of thousands of spectators flock to the Berkshire-based racecourse to witness some of the best action of the year.
However, last year organisers didn’t get to celebrate Champions Day’s 10-year anniversary in the manner they had expected, as the global coronavirus pandemic meant fans were still unable to return to the course.
Nonetheless, nothing was going to spoil a racecard as good as Champions Day’s, and we were still treated to some top-class action from the comfort of our own homes. So, without further ado, let’s take a look back on the 2020 renewal of Champions Day.
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British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2)
Hollie Doyle topped a fantastic season with an emphatic victory aboard Trueshan in the opening race of the day — the British Champions Long Distance Cup. The four-year-old was an 11/1 outsider to win the two-mile race. However, when unleashed by Doyle, Trueshan shot into the lead and there was no stopping the Alan King-trained horse, who went on to win by a convincing seven-and-a-half lengths.
British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1)
After becoming the first female jockey to win a race on Champions Day, Doyle steered another big winner to victory in the British Champions Sprint Stakes. 18/1 shot Glen Shiel, trained by Archie Watson, gained the slightest of headway heading into the final 110 yards and just held on to beat 80/1 outsider Brando over the line by a nose.
“I’m in a state of shock right now,” Doyle said afterwards. “I didn’t think I’d won, so to have had the result we have was incredible. We had a good old battle with Oxted from the three-pole and I thought that I would be doing well to hold on like I did, but he is such a game horse.”
British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1)
Favourite in the Smarkets horse betting, Wonderful Tonight was the first and only market leader to win on Champions Day — proof in many ways of just how much talent is on show. William Buick gained a clear advantage from the rest of the field at around the two-furlong marker and the David Menuisier-trained horse held on gamely to beat Doyle and Dame Malliot over the line by over two lengths.
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1)
There was another dramatic finish in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, which boasts the second-biggest prize purse of the day, as The Revenant (5/1) and Roseman (28/1) raced neck-and-neck towards the finish. There was little to separate the two horses the whole way to the line, where The Revenant just got his head in front. Odds-on favourite Palace Pier was over three lengths behind in third.
Champion Stakes (Group 1)
Addeybb (9/1) got the better of the favourites in the Champions Stakes, scooping the huge £425,000 prize for trainer William Haggas and owner Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum. The six-year-old had gained a clear advantage by the final furlong pole and kept on well to beat Skalleti and favourite Magical over the line by over two lengths.
Balmoral Handicap
After his victory aboard Addeybb, Tom Marquand made it back-to-back wins as he rode Njord to glory in the Balmoral Handicap. The Jessica Harrington-trained horse streaked clear a furlong out and he stayed on to win by over two lengths, with Solid Stone in second, followed by Greenside.
