Saturday Horse Racing Tips: Ascot Best Bets for British Champions Day

It's British Champions Day, and we are in for an absolute treat as we celebrate the best of the best, with some of the top horses around clashing in this annual jamboree. Our horse racing expert, Ed Quigley, shares his British Champions Day horse racing tips and Ascot best bets ahead of an action-packed day.

Some familiar names will be back to battle, with many eyes naturally drawn to the absolute belter of a 4pm Champion Stakes. It looks like a special contest as Calandagan and Ombudsman meet again, but we shouldn't forget Constitution River and Almaqam, who look sure to play their part. We have top-class racing throughout the day, and all the action at Ascot gets underway at 12.55pm. There hasn't been much rain in the Ascot area, and we are looking at pretty quick underfoot conditions.

Check out the best horse betting sites before joining the action on Saturday, 17 October.

Ed Quigley's British Champions Day Horse Racing Tips

• Ascot 12.55pm – Night In Vegas NB (11/2, bet365)
• Ascot 1.30pm – Gregory (7/2, bet365)
• Ascot 2.05pm – Almeraq (11/10, bet365)
• Ascot 2.40pm – Kalpana NAP (6/5, bet365)
• Ascot 3.20pm – Ten Bob Tony (15/2, bet365)
• Ascot 4pm – Ombudsman (2/1, bet365)
• Ascot 4.35pm – Crown Of Oaks (scratched)

*All odds via bet365 Sportsbook.

Ascot Best Bet: Kalpana at 2.40pm

I am struggling to find too many negatives about KALPANA, and she should take a lot of beating in the British Champions Fillies and Mares at 2.40pm. The Andrew Balding-trained 5-year-old is a class act, and absolutely adores this venue. She won this in 2024 and 2025, and has a remarkable record of three wins and three placed efforts from her six starts over Course and Distance. This multiple Group 1 winner is the standout performer here, and her defeat of Calandagan in the King George looks beyond superb. She has demonstrated her versatility in terms of underfoot requirements, and brings a level of form to the table that is simply beyond what the others can achieve here.

Colin Keane takes the ride, and she should take an awful lot of beating if she brings her A-game. Johanna Walsh was lacklustre when well beaten behind Kalpana in the Yorkshire Oaks, but if she can return to her earlier-season form, she would probably be the biggest danger on paper. The Joseph O'Brien team are having a superb season, and this filly has plenty of ability. If she is on song, then I expect her to be the one to chase Kalpana home with Dylan Browne McMonagle in the saddle.

2.40pm Ascot Prediction: Kalpana (6/5)

Ed Quigley's Next Best Bet for Ascot: Night In Vegas at 12.55pm

Eve Johnson Houghton is represented by NIGHT IN VEGAS, and what a money-earner this 2-year-old has turned out to be. He wasn't beaten far in back-to-back Group 2 assignments at Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood earlier in the season, but recently he's been cashing in, getting the job done in sales races. An official rating of 102 suggests he is right in the shake-up here, and I think trip and ground will be fine for this previous C&D winner, who ought to be involved at the business end of proceedings.

Charles Bishop will be in the saddle, and he will be confident his mount can sparkle once again, albeit this is probably his toughest test to date in terms of being pitched in for a sales race. There was a lot to like about how Night In Vegas warmed up for this, winning nicely at Newmarket last time out, and he looks tailor-made for this assignment. He looks like a straightforward individual with a solid temperament, and he looks more than capable of making his presence felt here and adding a fourth win to his tally.

12.55pm Ascot Prediction: Night in Vegas (11/2)

More Champions Day Predictions

The Long Distance Cup (1.30pm) looks incredibly competitive, and a case can be made for many in the line-up. However, I have been very taken by GREGORY's recent performances, and he can make it three wins on the spin here. The 6-year-old is having a new lease of life, and absolutely pulverised the opposition in the Rose Bowl Stakes at Newmarket last month. That may have been only at Listed level, but it was an astonishing performance, and the Wathnan Racing runner looks more than capable of making his presence felt in this company.

James Doyle takes the ride for the Gosden team, and I think this combination will be in the thick of things here. Later on at 4pm, I think Ombudsman can gain revenge on Calandagan with his favoured fast ground in his favour. He had an off day at York on a rain-softened surface, and he should be much more in his element here today, in what looks like a race to savour with two elite world-class performers at the top of the market.