Prize money boost to £4 million for QIPCO British Champions Day

Prize money for this year’s QIPCO British Champions Day will be £4 million, cementing its position as the richest raceday in the British calendar. The QIPCO Champion Stakes is set to be the richest race in the UK this year with £1.2 million in prize money. The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) will also run for in excess of £1 million. The three remaining pattern races on the card each will offer a prize fund of £500,000. In all, prize money across the card will increase by 60% on 2020 levels, which were impacted by the covid pandemic.

Champion Trainer John Gosden, said, “We are very grateful to QIPCO and British Champions Series for putting up such a valuable raceday. It is so important for British racing that there is internationally competitive prize money on offer for owners who are the bedrock of our sport. Champions Day has quickly become one of the most important racedays in the global racing calendar and with such generous prize money, I am sure that it will continue to thrive.”

Sheikh Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Thani, director of QIPCO Holding said, “We are proud to sponsor QIPCO British Champions Day, the most valuable day in the British racing calendar and are pleased that this year’s raceday, which marks the tenth anniversary of our sponsorship, will be run for £4 million. The day has established itself at the pinnacle of the global racing calendar and it is only fitting that the prize money reflect that.”

Richard Hannon, who won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) with King of Change in 2019 said, “You always want to have runners on QIPCO British Champions Day and it’ll be even more important this year with such fantastic prize money on offer. All credit to QIPCO and the team for making it happen – it’s a real boost for everyone in the game.”

This year’s QIPCO British Champions Day takes place on Saturday 16th October at Ascot Racecourse, and marks the 10th Anniversary of QIPCO’s sponsorship of the event and the wider QIPCO British Champions Series. Prize money on the day will increase by 60% across the card compared to 2020:

QIPCO British Champions Day Prize Money 2020 vs 2021

2020

2021

% difference

QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2)

£300,000

£500,000

+67%

QIPCO British Champions Sprint (Group 1)

£350,000

£500,000

+43%

QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares (Group 1)

£350,000

£500,000

+43%

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) (Group 1)

£650,000

£1,100,000

+69%

QIPCO Champion Stakes (Group 1)

£750,000

£1,200,000

+60%

Balmoral Handicap (sponsored by QIPCO)

£100,000

£200,000

+100%

TOTAL

£2.5m

£4m

+60%

Tickets to this year’s unmissable finale to the British flat racing season on Saturday 16th October are now on sale: britishchampionsday.com