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.

This weekend Newmarket, the HQ of flat racing, hosts the first two classics of 2019 with the Qipco 2000 Guineas on Saturday and Qipco 1000 Guineas on Sunday.

The 2000 Guineas Celebrates its 210th running on Saturday, the first winner back in 1809 being Wizard. The racing world will be watching intently hoping for the magic of another wonder horse to appear on the scene. Four of the last ten Derby winners ran in the Guineas to emphasise the class fields that assemble for the Guineas each year.

With the weather looking set fair for the majority of the week, good fast flat ground can be expected.

Not unsurprisingly the front of the market is dominated by the ever powerful O’Brien stable. Magna Garcia currently heading the market at 7/2, already proven over a mile winning the Group 1 Futurity Trophy Stakes last October, and looking all class.

Ten Sovereigns next in the market at 5/1 arguably has the best form in the book going into the race. All wins last year were over 6 furlongs, but with a mixture of speed and middle distance angles to the pedigree, and O’Brien rarely one to tilt at windmills, the assumption is that staying a mile will be within scope for Ten Sovereigns. Which ever horse is chosen by Ryan Moore sure to go off favourite.

Royal Marine from Godolphin a 2 year old Group one winner in France over 1 mile, albeit on slower ground, is currently an 8/1 shot, and can be marked up for his run in the Craven where he wasn’t seen to best effect.

Demonstrating long term profit from betting on horses is found from being a contrarian and looking for angles less seen by others, whilst accepting missing the obvious more frequently (and I wouldn’t put anybody off backing either of the O’Brien pair).

However, and with that in mind, a horse that interests me at huge odds of 40/1 is Emaratty Ana from the Kevin Ryan stable. A late foal by the sire Shamadal (who was a Newmarket Group one winner himself). Emaratty Ana during a light 2 yo campaign showed his class winning the Group 2 Gimcrack at York over 6F, and I’m happy to forgive his subsequent fifth at Newmarket behind Ten Sovereigns. Sharmadal came into his own when he tackled a mile plus, and the dam also brings stamina to the fore. There is good reason to believe we may see a stronger, more developed, and altogether different horse now going over 1m and at 40/1 each way makes for an interesting bet at such huge odds.

Monday morning saw Godolphin supplement Al Hilalee for the race at a cost of £30,000, following a key racecourse gallop in Meydan that clearly impressed connections. A Derby entry this unbeaten son of Dubawi described by trainer Appleby as “a unit” who handled the undulations on the July course last season, he should feel right at home on the galloping Rowley Mile come Saturday. At odds of 16/1 the hint should be taken each way.

On Sunday the 1000 Guineas takes centre stage for the fillies with Qubala heading the market at 7/2. The favourite winner of the key trial The Nell Gwyn in taking style, drawing right away from a good field. The Roger Varian filly looks sure to go very well.

Skitter Scatter from the John Oxx stable who trained the imperious Sea The Stars to 2000 Guineas success 10 years ago, is expecting a big run from this Scat Daddy offspring. Strong market support over the last 48 hours into 6/1 second favourite only further adds to the confidence behind this filly and is an interesting selection.

Iridessa from the up and coming Joseph O’Brien stable looks very interesting based on her Group 1 Fillies mile win over course and distance last October. Her seasonal appearance on face value might be viewed as slightly disappointing, however the soft ground may well not have suited as well as the fast ground she’s shown her best form on so far. At current odds of 8/1 she makes fair each way value against rivals whose prices have contracted more over the past days.

For those looking for a lively outsider likely to outrun her odds then Star Terms from the Richard Hannon stable looks sure to be suited by this testing mile, a strong gallop, and should run well.

Selections:

Saturday Qipco 2000 Guineas
Emaratty Ana 40/1 each way
Al Hilalee 12/1 each way

Sunday Qipco 1000 Guineas
Iridessa 7/1 each way
Star Terms 25/1 each way

Have a great, profitable, and enjoyable Guineas weekend.

Follow Jamie Beighton on twitter @TheWineTipster1

 

This weekend saw the 2017 QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket: the first two features of the five Classics for the three year old racehorses. The Wine Tipster attended both the 2000 Guineas on Saturday for the colts, and the 1000 Guineas on Sunday for the fillies, and enjoyed, like the other spectators, the excitement around this festival and the chance to discover the talent of the three year olds. After a fabulous weekend of racing, we are sure to have true champions for the 2017 season.

Saturday 6^th May: The first day of the festival highlighted that Churchill, trained by Aidan O’Brien, has carried on from his two year old days and justified favouritism by winning the 2000 Guineas in impressive style. There were also strong form lines from this race with Barney Roy, Al Wukair and Eminent chasing him home. This leaves Churchill 7-4 favourite for the Derby, and we’ll have to hope he takes his place at Epsom.

Sunday 7^th May: This race saw the favourite, Rhododendron, have a troubled passage, and failing to collar her impressive stable mate, Winter, who travelled superbly throughout the race, showing the potential to be a real champion. Despite her difficult run, Rhododendron showed a fantastic turn of foot and will definitely be winning races in 2017. The Wine Tipster fancied her to win not only for her amazing performance at Newmarket last year, but because, as Alan Titchmarsh says, May is the best month for Rhododendrons. The 1000 Guineas race day also saw good performances from Frontiersman and race debutant, Way of Wisdom.

The Wine Tipster spent the weekend presenting in the Chez Roux Restaurant with fantastic dishes prepared by the legendary Albert Roux. Popular wines throughout the Guineas Festival included Bolney Estate Foxhole Vineyard Pinot Gris, and Prophet’s Rock Dry Riesling.

The Wine Tipster also presented on the course TV, promoting the ‘racecourse experience’ featuring the Purely Prosecco Bar with high quality and stylish Proseccos from the famous producer Bisol. As well as enjoying some bubbles, there were some very tasty Powter Sausages from Newmarket, who were established in 1881 and have been associated with the racecourse for 50 years; A delicious way to celebrate the Guineas.

 

The other three Classics coming up are Oaks and the Derby at Epsom in June, and the final Classic, The St Leger at Doncaster in September. The Wine Tipster is looking forward to seeing how the runners from the Guineas perform in the coming months.

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