The QIPCO British Champions Series features the 35 top Flat races in the British horseracing calendar from June – October, featuring all of British Flat racing’s key festivals.  QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 17 October is Britain’s richest raceday with £2.5 million in prize money and marks the end of The Series. Although racing remains behind closed doors this year, let The Wine Tipster guide you round the Fan Zone at Home with tips for wines, horses, and activities.

Races

The Series includes five championship categories: Sprint, Mile, Middle Distance, Long Distance and Fillies & Mares. Each features the seven highest-rated races in that category and brings together the finest horses, jockeys and trainers to compete for the sport’s most prestigious prizes.

For QIPCO British Champions Day, the five championship races are:

• The QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes – over 6 furlongs (1,200 metres) for horseracing’s speed merchants.
• The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is Champions Day’s Mile category – for four-year-olds and older horses. With prize money of £1.1 million, it is Europe’s richest mile race.
• The £1.3m QIPCO Champion Stakes (1¼ miles) – Britain’s richest ten-furlong race. The QIPCO British Champions Series Middle Distance category is the most important of all, full of hugely valuable, iconic contests.
• The QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup – over 2 miles (3,200 metres). In the QIPCO British Champions Series Long Distance category come the stamina-sapping races for horses that can stay the trip – the “stayers”.
• The £500,000 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes – over 1½ miles where the three-year-olds clash with the older fillies and mares. In 2019, Frankie Dettori and John Gosden teamed up for another QIPCO British Champions Day winner thanks to Star Catcher.

QIPCO British Champions Day is the ultimate raceday, and sees the kings and queens of the turf fight for victory in the last Flat Meeting of the season. The Wine Tipster is excited for what is a fantastic line up of runners in all the six races and you can check out his selection in each race in his Unibet Racing blog:

1:20 – QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (3yo+) on ITV and Racing TV

1:55 – QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (3yo+) on ITV and Racing TV

2:30 – QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (3yo+) on ITV and Racing TV

3:05 – Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1) (Sponsored By QIPCO) (British Champions Mile) (Class 1) (3yo+) on ITV & Racing TV

3:40 – QIPCO Champion Stakes (British Champions Middle Distance) (Group 1) (Class 1) (3yo+) on ITV & Racing TV

4:15 – Balmoral Handicap (Sponsored By QIPCO) (Class 2) (3yo+) on ITV and Racing TV

At Home

The Wine Tipster will be enjoying a glass of wine or two from Ascot Wine Club. Launched for the 2020 Royal Ascot Festival in partnership with Moët & Chandon, Official Champagne, and Official Wine Partner Hallgarten Novum Wines.

Official Wine Supplier, Ascot Wine Club delivers top quality bottles directly to your door in time for the races.

The Wine Tipster’s four bottles for the QIPCO British Champions Day are:

Sauvignon Blanc Reserva, Viña Echeverría, Valle de Curicó, Chile 2019 – Chile are now producing great value and very classy Sauvignon Blancs, like this Viña Echeverría. This bottle can also come as part of the Fame And Glory Case, taking its name from the Gold Cup Winner who had an impressive racing career winning 5 races and was the favourite for the Ascot Gold Cup in 2011, winning by three lengths. The case provides 12 bottles of 4 luxury and affordable wines.

Malbec, ‘Estate’ 2018, Doña Paula, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina – A high quality, complex and beautifully balanced wine. This bottle is also available from the Sagaro Case, another historical Gold Cup winner who won in every season from 1974 to 1977. The case is a middle range price point with 12 bottles of 4 top quality wines.

Sancerre 2019 Domaine Gérard Millet, Loire, France – a classic, top class bottle from the Loire which can also be purchased in the Yeats Case. Yeats made Ascot history becoming the first horse ever to win the Ascot Gold Cup four times in succession. The case is at the top end of the prices and features some truly wonderful bottles of champagne and wine.

Rosé, ‘Whispering Angel’ 2019, Provence, France – this Group 1 pink showcases all the elegance and style of the Provence region. It is also available in the top class Yeats Case.

Virtual Fan Zone

QIPCO British Champions Series and the Pony Club have joined together to create a list of unmissable activities for children on Champions Day. First stop – the Horseracing Handbook is a must read for children wanting to get involved with the day, or adults looking for some light entertainment! Design your own silks and fill in the winners for each race in this handy guide.

Why not enter a competition for a chance to win a limited edition QIPCO British Champions Day Decade of Champions jacket and mask, and a QIPCO British Champions Day scarf for your child. Details here.

There are a number of fun videos on the QIPCO British Champions Day website including how Tom Marquand rose through the ranks, a course ride with Frankie Dettori and see what is involved in the early life or a racehorse.

For those looking for an indepth analysis of this year’s QIPCO British Champions Day, why not check out the Media Guide for all the horse racing stats and more. Check out the QIPCO British Champions Day in Numbers below:

The Wine Tipster hopes you have a most fantastic QIPCO British Champions Day and see the Flat Season out in style. Don’t forget to engage on social media with The Wine Tipster, Ascot Racecourse and QIPCO British Champions Series.

As one of the major highlights of The Newmarket Gold Season, The Cambridgeshire Meeting is 3 days (September 24th, 25th and 26th) of superb horseracing on the Rowley Mile. Unfortunately, racing will remain behind closed doors so let The Wine Tipster guide you through the history of The Cambridgeshire Meeting and his tips for celebrating at home.

Coming up as part of The Gold Season will be the Dubai Future Champions Festival on 9th and 10th October. The Wine Tipster is hugely empathetic to the wonderful team at Newmarket who have dealt with the changing restrictions for The Cambridgeshire Meeting but will no doubt have a fabulous meeting in spite of it all.

Cambridgeshire Thursday – Thursday 24th September 2020

For the first day of the Meeting, Cambridgeshire Thursday sees a range of impressive stakes to get things going. The Wine Tipster is especially looking forward to:

3:00 TATTERSALLS STAKES (REGISTERED AS THE SOMERVILLE TATTERSALL STAKES) (COLTS & GELDINGS) (GROUP 3) (Class 1) (2yo) ITV4

• The Wine Tipster is watching La Barrossa from trainer Charlie Appleby who has a great chance today

3:35 JOCKEY CLUB ROSE BOWL STAKES (LISTED RACE) (Class 1) (3yo+) ITV4

• The Wine Tipster is excited by the 7 year old Withhold who has leading claims to take the race today

Shadwell Day – Friday 25th September 2020

Friday, also known as Shadwell Day, boasts two Group contests, the Group 2 Shadwell Rockfel Stakes and Shadwell Joel Stakes (both on ITV4). It’s a hot card for the day, so check out all of the races featured:

1:15 DERRINSTOWN IRISH EBF MAIDEN STAKES (COLTS & GELDINGS) (PLUS 10 RACE) (Class 4) (2yo) Racing TV

1:50 TASLEET BRITISH EBF ROSEMARY STAKES (LISTED RACE) (FILLIES & MARES) (Class 1) (3yo+) ITV4 & Racing TV

• Previous Newmarket winner Alnaseem will be having her 13th horse race with her 13th different jockey aboard! Jockey Adam Kirby is having a go today. (Courtesy of Andy Stephens of Racing TV)

2:25 PRINCESS ROYAL MUHAARAR STAKES (GROUP 3) (FILLIES & MARES) (Class 1) (3yo+) ITV4 & Racing TV

3:00 SHADWELL ROCKFEL STAKES (GROUP 2) (FILLIES) (Class 1) (2yo) ITV4 & Racing TV

• The Wine Tipster is looking forward to seeing Isabella Giles in this race, trained by Clive Cox who’s been having a great year with his 2 year old.

3:35 SHADWELL JOEL STAKES (GROUP 2) (Class 1) (3yo+) ITV4 & Racing TV

• This is a belter of a race because we have Benbatl against Kameko who are the top two in the market and should make for a cracking race. Kameko has finished 4th in his last three starts in big races following a lot of bad luck, so things will be interesting between the runners.

4:10 EQTIDAAR GODOLPHIN STAKES (LISTED RACE) (Class 1) (3yo+) Racing TV

4:45 SHADWELL FARM HANDICAP (Class 3) (3yo+ 0-90) Racing TV

Juddmonte Day – Saturday 26th September 2020

The finale to The Cambridgeshire Meeting is Juddmonte Day on Saturday – a true spectacle to behold with some top races and great horses to look forward to in all races:

1:15 BLANDFORD BLOODSTOCK MAIDEN FILLIES’ STAKES (PLUS 10/GBB RACE) (Class 4) (2yo) Racing TV

1:50 JUDDMONTE ROYAL LODGE STAKES (GROUP 2) (Class 1) (2yo) ITV4 & Racing TV

2:25 JUDDMONTE CHEVELEY PARK STAKES (GROUP 1) (Class 1) (2yo) ITV4 & Racing TV

• An interesting race – Alcohol Free for an each way bet, and Happy Romance should make this race interesting having previously raced in this race with trainer Richard Hannan

3:00 JUDDMONTE MIDDLE PARK STAKES (GROUP 1) (Class 1) (2yo) ITV4 & Racing TV

• The Wine Tipster likes the look of Method with Frankie Dettori

3:35 CAMBRIDGESHIRE HANDICAP (HERITAGE HANDICAP) (Class 2) (3yo+) ITV4 & Racing TV

• The famous Cambridgeshire Heritage Handicap was established in 1839 at the same time as The Cesarewitch. The two races are known as the historic Autumn Double, with the second leg of this pair being run at the Dubai Future Champions Festival (9th and 10th October). The Wine Tipster can’t wait to watch around 30 horses thunder up The Rowley Mile!
• The Wine Tipster’s excited for his old friend Sir Busker who he’s been tipping up endlessly – they won at Royal Ascot but have been unlucky in other races. Sir Busker is a really good each way selection.

4:10 BRITISH STALLION STUDS EBF ‘JERSEY LILY’ FILLIES’ NURSERY HANDICAP (Class 2) (2yo) Racing TV

4:40 BENTLEY MOTORS HANDICAP (Class 2) (3yo+ 0-105) Racing TV

At Home – Where To Watch

Racing TV will be showing every race live which you can watch on your TV, tablet or mobile. Race Replays will also be available 20 minutes after the winner crosses the line. ITV Racing and ITV4 will be showing a number of races too, with details of the fixtures and broadcasters being available on The Cambridgeshire Meeting website.

At Home – To Do

There are a number of interactive and fun activities to get involved with at home during The Cambridgeshire, don’t forget to follow all the Social Media for Newmarket Racecourse and The Wine Tipster to share your #AtHome celebrations!

• Calling friends and family to enjoy the day with? Why not use a Video Background from The Jockey Club and feel as though you’re really there.
• The Raceday App is a must for the At Home experience. Get your own digital racecard, exclusive content, and access to the Raceday 5 Game with a chance to win a bottle of Coates & Seely Rosé NV and £10,000!
• Decorate your home with The Jockey Club Bunting which can be used throughout The Gold Season At Home.
• Need to brush up on your racing knowledge and jargon? Check out Racing Explained for all the confusing terms!
• Colour and fill in your own Sweepstake Sheet for each of the races.
• Put your knowledge of Newmarket to the test with Raceday Quizzes.
• Don’t forget to keep up to date with the fantastic Competitions available.
• Set the scene for the Meeting with your very own Spotify Playlist.
• Get inspiration from others’ At Home Celebration creations here!

At Home – What To Wear

Feel like you’re spending a day at the races but from the comfort of your own home. Why not put on a fancy dress or a three piece suit and enjoy the day safely at home.

Racing At Home Inspiration Gallery to inspire your creativity and fashion for the meeting. Don’t forget to share your raceday outfits with us on Social Media – Newmarket Racecourse, The Wine Tipster.

At Home – What To Drink

The UK is the biggest market for Prosecco DOC, so what better wine to pop when you celebrate The Cambridgeshire Meeting At Home? The Wine Tipster recommends Ruggeri Argeo Prosecco DOC Brut from Treviso which is available across The Jockey Club Racecourses and from The Great Wine Co. It is a Gold Medal winning bottle with vibrant lemon aromas making this a refreshingly crisp bottle. Prosecco DOCG La Gioiosa Valdobbiadene is seriously elegant and bursting with apple notes – definitely worth a try, available from Majestic.

Why not try Prosecco DOC in a simple cocktail – an Aperol Spritz or Bellini, depending on what you have in the cupboard, go down a treat with these bottles. Don’t forget to check for the Prosecco DOC Certification by looking for the sticker on the neck of your bottles – you’ll be sure to have a quality bottle of Prosecco that way.

For a touch of class at The Cambridgeshire, Coates and Seely’s delightful English Sparkling Wines are a must. The Wine Tipster especially loves their Brut Reserve NV which is a Gold Medal winner and full of depth and complexity.

For those on a budget, The Wine Tipster also recommends 6 wines under £10 as The Jockey Club Catering’s resident wine and food pairings expert. All 6 are smashing on a sunny day and with picnic food.

Fancy a gin? The Wine Tipster enjoys Salcombe Distillery’s multi-award winning ‘Start Point’ Gin with Fever-Tree’s Premium Indian Tonic Water over ice. Delicious.

For a non-alcoholic option, why not enjoy a Luscombe Hot Ginger Beer which really packs a punch worthy of The Cambridgeshire.

At Home – What To Eat

The weather has been spectacular, and what better way to enjoy the racing and the late sunshine than with a picnic at home? Gather your favourite picnic treats such as scones (jam or cream first?), sausage rolls, sandwiches, sweet treats such as flapjacks and lemon drizzle and snacks such as Taste of Game Crisps and local Pork Pies from the Butcher’s. If you’re looking to impress with your picnic, why not try The Jockey Club Catering’s moreish Rosemary Focaccia and Baked Camembert. The Wine Tipster sees this At Home Meeting as another great opportunity to support local and stay safe.

The Wine Tipster is looking forward to enjoying the Powters Original Newmarket Pig Sausages in a delicious casserole, or for a Full English Breakfast to get the raceday off to a cracking start. Dating back to the 1880s, the family run business are still producing their distinctly peppery sausages with a blend of secret spices in small batches for punters.

Did you know? The Newmarket Sausage is a protected food name and has to be made in the vicinity of the town!

For more food inspiration, check out The Jockey Club’s Autumn Inspired Recipes from Midsummer House.

The Wine Tipster hopes that you and your families can stay safe this meeting, and enjoy The Cambridgeshire Meeting At Home. To keep up to date with The Wine Tipster’s blog, subscribe here, and don’t forget to follow him on Social Media for updates and coverage.

This six-year old mare will race her last UK race on Saturday 5th September in the Group 3 September Stakes at Kempton Park, before bidding to win an historic third Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe on October 4th following her narrow defeat last year by Waldgeist in really testing conditions. Let’s celebrate the incredible career of the Queen of the Turf before cheering her on to make history!

Enable has had a fantastic six-year-old season, running what trainer John Gosden described as a “gorgeous race” in the 2020 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park where she finished second behind the mighty Ghaiyyath, despite not being at peak fitness. Enable then became the first horse to gain a third victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on 25th July, winning in truly impressive style. She is of course a red hot odds on favourite at 1/8 to take the September Stakes at Kempton Park today and will draw huge media interest. Having been set to retire last season, her performances this year have been hugely impressive and it has been a joy to watch her enthusiasm, spirit and talent continue to shine through in her races. The admiration from her brilliant jockey, Frankie Detorri, is evident in interviews where he describes his deep connection with the spectacular horse, “She’s an amazing horse in every way: ability, courageous, uncomplicated.”

As a two time winner of the Cartier Awards ‘Horse of the Year’ and ‘Champion Older Horse,’ as well as holding 13 Group 1 wins to her name, Enable truly is the Queen of the Turf. Some of her major wins include as a three-year-old, the Investec Oaks at Epsom, the 2017 Darley Yorkshire Oaks, which she won again in 2019, her two Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe wins, and her incredible versatility to win the Breeder’s Cup Turf in America in 2018. Her 2019 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes win was an incredible victory against Crystal Ocean, and The Wine Tipster reminisces that being on the finish line and experiencing the public engagement from everyone at the course for her win was electric. The Wine Tipster was also privileged enough to see Enable run what was thought to be her last UK appearance in 2019 at the Darley Yorkshire Oaks. A horse like Enable brings all types of people together to share in her glory and her talent. The Wine Tipster says that seeing Frankie Dettori become emotional highlights all Enable has done for racing and how special she is.

Frankie Dettori, on winning the 2020 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes for a record-equalling seventh time said, “We tried a variety of things to get the fire back, and that’s why John Gosden is a great trainer, he does things outside the box, and we got her back. She’s not getting better, but her enthusiasm throughout the race today was plain to see and she’s thriving with racing… I love her so much. I’ve become friends with her, she’s got tremendous presence and she knows she’s good”.

John Gosden commenting on the 2019 Darley Yorkshire Oaks said, “This was a lovely prep for her, a gorgeous race in its own right and we couldn’t be more pleased with her… She has this amazingly competitive mind. She’s just a great filly with a great constitution.”

Enable became the third female to win the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park in 2019 and the first five-year-old mare to take the prize. Frankie Dettori said, “I’m as ecstatic as when I won my first race on her… Her longevity has been incredible. I never stop getting excited when I ride her in the morning. She’s very special. I really love her… She’s got so many gears and the unbelievable will to win. She’s got everything.”

Racing at Kempton Park on Saturday 5th September will remain behind closed doors, with ITV and Racing TV broadcasting the feature race, The September Stakes, at 2:35pm.

The Wine Tipster will be active on social media throughout the meeting, and will be providing his tips in his Unibet Racing Blog. Subscribe to The Wine Tipster Blog here to get the latest posts straight to your inbox.

Three days of top class racing, luxury dining and Champagne: it must be Newmarket. This year’s racing culminated in the July Cup on the Saturday – won by Harry Angel who was given a great ride by Adam Kirby, beating the favourite, Caravaggio.

The Wine Tipster spent the festival presenting on Newmarket Course TV and ITV, as well as showcasing some wonderful wines in the Summer House Restaurant and at the daily Moët and Chandon Champagne paired lunches alongside a fabulous menu.

The 2017 Festival marked the launch of this Champagne and Dining experience by The Jockey Club, which was a huge success. It was a great example of how well Champagne can be paired, with dishes such as the Fish Duo of Trout Mousse and Lemon Cured Salmon.

It was great to see so many familiar faces in the Summer House this year, as well as amazing support for English Wines, especially Bolney Estate Foxhole Vineyard Pinot Gris, Nyetimber Classic Cuvée MV and Chapel Down English Rosé.

The Wine Tipster also did well on the tipping front this year, with Tangled at 8:1 on the Friday, and Medahim at 12:1 on the Saturday, both trained by Richard Hannon.

Overall, the 2017 Moët and Chandon July festival was a massive success, with attendances up on last year. The Wine Tipster will be returning next year – don’t miss him!

The Wine Tipster has recently joined a racing syndicate and has already seen one of his horse Final Choice deliver an impressive winning performance at Newbury in December.

He is one of the members of The Jockey Club Ownership Syndicate – Cheltenham and South West, which offers members a share in four year-old Final Choice, trained by Warren Greatrex, and five-year-olds The Last But One and Timeforwest, trained by Paul Nicholls and Jonjo O’Neill respectively.

Membership of the Syndicate costs £2,590 for two years and includes organised stable visits, along with full membership benefits of Cheltenham including The Festival, where members can enjoy an exclusive facility; as well as membership of Warwick, Wincanton and Exeter racecourses, the four racecourses within the south west region of The Jockey Club.

He was lucky to visit Warren Greatrex’s yard for a morning on the gallops with Lucy Wheeler, who runs the syndicate and Ed Chamberlin ITV Racing’s presenter. He also enjoyed a catch up with Dan Thompson Head of Exeter Racecourse whose Super Sunday meeting on February 12th promises to be a great day out.

Final Choice trained by Warren Greatrex will most likely been seen in a couple of weeks time and with a good run will be hopefully seen at The Cheltenham Festival in March which is very exciting. He is some cool dude winning impressively at Newbury in December, however he disappointed last time out when he resented the tongue tie.

Warren is based at Fred Winter’s old yard so you can see plaques with many famous names including Bula, Pendil and Derring Rose. He has an impressive 31% strike rate with his bumper horses for this season, 18% over hurdles and 11% over jumps. Keep an eye out for World Hurdle winner Cole Harden, who ran very well on Saturday when finishing second in the Cleeve Hurdle, Western Ryder, the stable favourite Paint The Clouds and Missed Approach at The Cheltenham Festival.

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