British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes
The British Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes is a Group 1 race for three-year-olds and upwards on Ascot’s Champions’ Day.
The British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes takes place on Saturday 21st October 2023.
The race was originally known as the Princess Royal Stakes and did not acquire its present title until 2011.
Notable past winners include Epsom Oaks winners Ouija Board (2005) and Dancing Rain (2011) and multiple Group 1 winner Magical (2018).
Find out more about The British Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes:
Contents
- 1 Race Overview – British Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes
- 2 Famous British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Winners & History
- 3 Key British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Trials
- 4 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Betting Trends
- 5 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes 2023 Odds
- 6 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Tips
- 7 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Previous Winners
- 8 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Previous Result
- 9 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Stats
- 10 Top Trainers and Jockeys of British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes
- 11 Betting on the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes
- 12 Popular Questions
- 13 Summary of British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes
- 14 Ascot Champions Day Related Articles
- 15 Related October Articles
- 16 Resources
Race Overview – British Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes
The British Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes is over a mile and a half at Ascot in October.
Conditions are often testing for this meeting so ability to act on the ground and bottomless stamina are often required here.
This point is underlined by recent winners Simple Verse (2015) and Wonderful Tonight (2020), previous winners over a mile and three-quarters in the St Leger and the Prix de Royallieu respectively.
Famous British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Winners & History
The race was first run as the Princess Royal Stakes in 1946 with victory going to Mehmany.
It was introduced as a Group 3 in 1971 and upgraded to Group 2 when renamed the Pride Stakes in 2008.
The final name change to British Champion Fillies and Mares was made in 2011 when it became part of Champions Day.
It was finally promoted to Group 1 status in 2013 with prize money doubled to £500,000.
There have only been two dual winners in the history of this race with Shebeen (1974, 1975) and Crystal Capella (2008, 2010).
Three Epsom Oaks winners have won this race. The first to do so was Snow Bride (1989), promoted to first at Epsom after first-past-the-post Aliysa had tested positive for a banned substance and was disqualified.
2004 Oaks winner Ouija Board also won this race when it was the Princess Royal Stakes, using it as a prep race for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She had won the Breeders’ Cup race the previous season but had to settle for second spot behind Lahudood.
Dancing Rain (2011) became the third Oaks winner to score here. She had produced a 20-1 shock under Johnny Murtagh in the Epsom Classic but could only finish fifth in the Irish Oaks next time.
2018 winner Magical won 12 of her 28 career starts for Aidan O’Brien and finished runner-up on eight occasions. Her other victories included the Irish Champion Stakes (2019, 2020) and the Champion Stakes (2019) in a fabulous career that netted £4.8 million in prize money for connections.
Key British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Trials
This race was the next target for three consecutive winners of the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp.
Baleel (2017) finished second at Ascot with Kitesurf (2018) finishing only fourth.
Star Catcher (2019) did win both races for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori.
Magical (2018) won here after finishing tenth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and Simple Verse (2015) followed up her St Leger victory at Doncaster. Wonderful Tonight (2020) also won here after a Group 1 success in the Prix de Royallieu.
British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Betting Trends
Favourites have a modest recent record in this race with only two outright winners and two joint-favourites succeeding in the past twelve seasons.
Star Catcher (2019) returned at 7-4 favourite while Wonderful Tonight (2020) headed the market at 4-1.
Nine of the twelve winners were in the first three in the betting.
Eshaada (2021) was the second 16-1 shot to win during that period following Seal Of Approval (2013). The only other double-figure-priced winner was Madame Chang (2014) for David Simcock and Jim Crowley at 12-1.
British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes 2023 Odds
Listed below are the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes 2023 odds:
Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes
|
|
---|---|
Emily Upjohn
|
10/3 |
Eternal Pearl
|
4/1 |
Mimikyu
|
5/1 |
Sea La Rosa
|
7/1 |
Sweet Lady
|
8/1 |
Rosscarbery
|
10/1 |
Lilac Road
|
16/1 |
Insinuendo
|
20/1 |
Mise En Scene
|
25/1 |
Thunder Kiss
|
40/1 |
Tranquil Lady
|
50/1 |
Ching Shih
|
100/1 |
British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Tips
Our tips for the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes are below:
- 2 points to win for TBC at odds of TBC
- 1 point each way for TBC at odds of TBC
British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Previous Winners
Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | Alia | 3 | Steve Raymont | Jeremy Tree | Khalid Abdullah | |
1980 | Karamita | 3 | Lester Piggott | Michael Stoute | HH Aga Khan IV | |
1981 | Flighting | 3 | Brian Rouse | John Dunlop | Sandy Struthers | |
1982 | Believer | 3 | Brian Rouse | John Dunlop | Arthur Budgett | |
1983 | Sylph | 3 | Tony Ives | Jeremy Tree | Khalid Abdullah | |
1984 | One Way Street | 3 | Lester Piggott | Henry Cecil | Louis Freedman | |
1985 | Free Guest | 4 | Rae Guest | Luca Cumani | Fittocks Stud | |
1986 | Tashtiya | 3 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Stoute | HH Aga Khan IV | |
1987 | no race [a] | |||||
1988 | Banket | 3 | Brian Rouse | John Dunlop | 3rd Earl of Halifax | 2:40.66 |
1989 | Snow Bride | 3 | Steve Cauthen | Henry Cecil | Saeed bin M. Al Maktoum | 2:30.73 |
1990 | Narwala | 3 | Pat Eddery | Luca Cumani | HH Aga Khan IV | 2:30.36 |
1991 | Always Friendly | 3 | Alan Munro | Henry Candy | Fahd Salman | 2:38.78 |
1992 | Cunning | 3 | Frankie Dettori | Luca Cumani | Fittocks Stud | 2:36.19 |
1993 | no race [a] | |||||
1994 | Dancing Bloom | 4 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Stoute | Lord Weinstock | 2:34.15 |
1995 | Labibeh | 3 | Willie Carson | John Dunlop | Hamdan Al Maktoum | 2:41.86 |
1996 | Time Allowed | 3 | John Reid | Michael Stoute | Robert Barnett | 2:33.44 |
1997 | Delilah | 3 | Olivier Peslier | Michael Stoute | Highclere Racing Ltd | 2:45.33 |
1998 | Silver Rhapsody | 3 | Kieren Fallon | Henry Cecil | Lordship Stud | 2:43.68 |
1999 | Signorina Cattiva | 3 | Frankie Dettori | John Dunlop | Maria Mai Goransson | 2:35.40 |
2000 | Sacred Song | 3 | Richard Quinn | Henry Cecil | Niarchos Family | 2:31.86 |
2001 | Head in the Clouds | 3 | Pat Eddery | John Dunlop | Neil Jones | 2:35.73 |
2002 | Love Everlasting | 4 | Kevin Darley | Mark Johnston | G. & L. Middlebrook | 2:33.55 |
2003 | Itnab | 3 | Richard Hills | Ben Hanbury | Hamdan Al Maktoum | 2:34.16 |
2004 | Mazuna | 3 | Ryan Moore | Clive Brittain | Saeed Manana | 2:30.24 |
2005 | Ouija Board | 4 | Frankie Dettori | Ed Dunlop | 19th Earl of Derby | 2:32.45 |
2006 | Acts of Grace | 3 | Kerrin McEvoy | John Dunlop | Prince A. A. Faisal | 2:35.64 |
2007 | Trick or Treat | 4 | Tom Queally | James Given | Onslow / Henderson | 2:36.93 |
2008 | Crystal Capella | 3 | Ryan Moore | Sir Michael Stoute | Sir Evelyn de Rothschild | 2:31.48 |
2009 | Ashalanda | 3 | Christophe Lemaire | Alain de Royer-Dupré | HH Aga Khan IV | 2:31.55 |
2010 | Crystal Capella | 5 | Ryan Moore | Sir Michael Stoute | Sir Evelyn de Rothschild | 2:34.73 |
2011 | Dancing Rain | 3 | Johnny Murtagh | William Haggas | Martin and Lee Taylor | 2:27.29 |
2012 | Sapphire | 4 | Pat Smullen | Dermot Weld | Moyglare Stud Farm | 2:37.32 |
2013 | Seal of Approval | 4 | George Baker | James Fanshawe | T R G Vestey | 2:39.09 |
2014 | Madame Chiang | 3 | Jim Crowley | David Simcock | Kirsten Rausing | 2:38.76 |
2015 | Simple Verse | 3 | Andrea Atzeni | Ralph Beckett | QRL / Al Thani / Al Kubaisi | 2:32.01 |
2016 | Journey | 4 | Frankie Dettori | John Gosden | George Strawbridge | 2:28.41 |
2017 | Hydrangea | 3 | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | Smith / Magnier / Tabor | 2:40.82 |
2018 | Magical | 3 | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | Smith / Magnier / Tabor | 2:33.28 |
2019 | Star Catcher | 3 | Frankie Dettori | John Gosden | Anthony Oppenheimer | 2:28.48 |
2020 | Wonderful Tonight | 3 | William Buick | David Menuisier | Christopher Wright | 2:37.84 |
2021 | Eshaada | 3 | Jim Crowley | Roger Varian | Shadwell Estate | 2:34.05 |
2022 | Emily Upjohn | 3 | Frankie Dettori | John and Thady Gosden | Lloyd Webber, Tactful Finance & S Roden | 2:33.76 |
British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Previous Result
🐎 Emily Upjohn bounces back to land the Group 1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes in emphatic style for Frankie Dettori and John & Thady Gosden 👏 #ChampionsDay@FrankieDettori pic.twitter.com/YoQeTmEcy6
— Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) October 15, 2022
British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Stats
Three-year-olds have dominated this race in recent years, winning seven of the last eight renewals.
The only horse to break that sequence was Journey (2016) who won as a four-year-old.
Crystal Capella (2008, 2010) won as a five-year-old when claiming her second victory in this race but the Classic generation clearly hold sway.
Eight of the twelve winners had winning form over a mile and a half and all but two had tackled the distance at least twice.
Ten of the twelve had at least one previous victory at Group 1 to 3 level and a rating of 108 or higher is usually required to win here.
Seal of Approval (rated 99 in 2013) was the only horse to win the British Champion Fillies and Mares off a lower mark during that period.
Top Trainers and Jockeys of British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes
The late John Dunlop has the all-time record for winners in this race with nine, the last of them coming with Acts of Grace (2006).
Sir Michael Stoute has seven victories to his credit; Karanita (1980), Tashtiya (1986), Dancing Bloom (1994), Time Allowed (1996), Delilah (1997) and Crystal Capella (2008, 2010).
Lester Piggott leads the all-time jockeys list with eight winners between 1959 and 1984.
Frankie Dettori has won it five times; Cunning (1992), Signorina Cattiva (1999), Ouija Board (2005), Journey (2016) and Star Catcher (2019).
Ryan Moore also has five victories; Mazuna (2004), Crystal Capella (2008, 2010), Hydrangea (2017) and Magical (2018).
Betting on the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes
The ante-post betting on the British Champions Fillies and Mares takes shape the week before Champions Day as the running plans become clearer.
The powerful stables of Aidan O’Brien and John and Thady Gosden usually have a leading contender but plans may change if the going deteriorates.
This is almost always the last race of the year for these fillies and mares. Magical (2018) was a tough campaigner who retained her form incredibly well and she went on to finish second at the Breeders’ Cup. Most of the other recent winners were not seen again until the following Spring.
Popular Questions
What Are the Important Facts About The British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Race?
Here are interesting facts about The British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Race:
- The British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes is run at Ascot Racecourse, England
- The British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes is for horses aged 3 and over
- The British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes is a Group 1 horse race in Great Britain
- The British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes distance is 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 211 yards
- The British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes prize money is £500,000
Summary of British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes
The British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes is currently race 3 on Champions Day and sets the scene for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Champion Stakes.
It regularly attracts horses who ran in the Oaks but it is often won by progressive fillies who thrive in the testing Autumn conditions.
It is a great race on Ascot Champions Day and a favourite of the team here.
Find out more about all the races at Ascots Champions Day:
- Autumn Stakes
- Bateaux London Gold Cup
- Beckford Stakes
- Bengough Stakes
- Bluebell Stakes
- Boadicea Fillies' Stakes
- British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes
- British Champions Long Distance Cup
- British Champions Sprint Stakes
- Carlingford Stakes
- Cesarewitch Handicap
- Challenge Stakes
- Champion Stakes
- Charlie Hall Chase
- Concorde Stakes
- Cornwallis Stakes
- Cumberland Lodge Stakes
- Darley Stakes
- Dewhurst Stakes
- Doncaster Stakes
- Eyrefield Stakes
- Fillies' Mile
- Fleur De Lys Fillies' Stakes
- Futurity Trophy
- Garnet Stakes
- Guisborough Stakes
- Horris Hill Stakes
- Horse Racing In October
- Irish Cesarewitch Handicap
- Killavullan Stakes
- Knockaire Stakes
- Legacy Stakes
- Leopardstown October Handicap
- Mercury Stakes
- Noel Murless Stakes
- October Stakes
- Oh So Sharp Stakes
- Old Roan Chase
- Pride Stakes
- Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
- Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
- Radley Stakes
- River Eden Fillies' Stakes
- Rockingham Stakes
- Rous Stakes
- Silver Tankard Stakes
- Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle
- St. Simon Stakes
- Star Appeal Stakes
- Sun Chariot Stakes
- Trigo Stakes
- Two-Year-Old Trophy
- West Yorkshire Hurdle
- Zetland Stakes