Home / News / Fillies & Mares Stakes 2026: runners, riders and Ascot race preview

    Fillies & Mares Stakes 2026: runners, riders and Ascot race preview

    Billy Grimshaw
    Billy Grimshaw
    October 13, 2026, 10:39 Updated October 13, 2026, 11:53
    Fillies & Mares Stakes 2026: runners, riders and Ascot race preview

    Kalpana goes for a third straight win in the Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on Saturday, and 15 fillies and mares currently line up on the card for the 2.40pm Group 1.

    The race covers 1m3f211y on the round course, with a guaranteed £500,000 prize fund and £283,550 for the winner. The going is good. Because the maximum is 14, at least one horse will miss the final line-up. Three-year-olds carry 9st 1lb against 9st 7lb for the older horses, a 6lb allowance. Check our Ascot racecards for the latest on declarations.

    Kalpana heads the older brigade

    Kalpana (Andrew Balding) has won this race for the last two years and has been the class act among the older fillies all season. She took the Aston Park Stakes, then the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July and the Yorkshire Oaks in August. Only a short-head defeat in the Hardwicke interrupts that run. She finished fifth in the Arc on 4 October, which is no disgrace in that company, but the quick turnaround of 13 days is her one real question mark. Even so, she is the one they all have to beat.

    The pace numbers back her up. Prominent racers have won three of the last five runnings and none of the 24 hold-up horses has won, as our Champions Day pace analysis shows. Kalpana tracked the pace in both of her wins here, yet she also won the King George from mid-division, so she does not rely on one style of race.

    British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes pace bias: last five winners and run styles, 2021-2025

    Balding also runs See The Fire, who won the Middleton Stakes at York in May. However, she finished sixth in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and third in the Nassau, both over shorter, so this is a step up in trip for her.

    Aidan O’Brien and the Gosdens

    Aidan O’Brien has three entered. Minnie Hauk is the best of them on ratings, though her season has been patchy. She won the Mooresbridge Stakes in May and finished second in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, but then came eighth in the King George, third in the Yorkshire Oaks and tenth in the Arc. She likes to race prominently, which is the right way to go about it at Ascot.

    The two three-year-olds are Amelia Earhart and Sugar Island. Amelia Earhart took third in the St Leger at Doncaster last month and second in the Give Thanks Stakes at Cork in August. Sugar Island made the running in the Yorkshire Oaks at 100/1 and finished seventh after a rival headed her over a furlong out. Amelia Earhart has the stronger record of the pair.

    John and Thady Gosden have Danielle, who won the Bronte Cup at York in May and finished second in the Park Hill at Doncaster in September. She raced from the back and came fifth in this race last year, so the pace stats do not favour her. Meanwhile, Symbol Of Majesty has William Buick booked. The three-year-old came sixth in the Moyglare Blandford Stakes at the Curragh last month and second in the Sandringham Handicap at Royal Ascot in June.

    The three-year-olds with the 6lb allowance

    Eight three-year-olds are on the card, and the allowance matters. Johanna Walsh (Joseph O’Brien) won the Irish Oaks in July and lost the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot by a head before that, so she has already shown she handles the track. At York she took a keen hold in second and had little left, finishing sixth in the Yorkshire Oaks. Sparan Nua (Jim Bolger) took third in the Irish Oaks and then second in the Yorkshire Oaks at 25/1, a short head behind the winner. Her Racing Post rating of 127 is among the best of the three-year-olds.

    Inis Mor (David Menuisier) took second in the Irish Oaks and lost by only half a length to Coedana at Newmarket last month. Lilt (William Haggas) won at York in May and finished second in the Blandford Stakes at the Curragh last month. Believed (John Murtagh) won the Give Thanks Stakes at Cork, a race in which Amelia Earhart came second.

    Coedana, Tattycoram and the French raider

    Coedana (Edward Bethell) won the Princess Royal Stakes at Newmarket last month and the Pontefract Listed race before that. This is a significant rise in class from Group 3, though. Tattycoram (Ralph Beckett) won the Lancashire Oaks in July, then finished fifth in the Yorkshire Oaks and eighth on her latest start.

    Tajlina is the only French-trained runner. Francis-Henri Graffard, who trained this year’s Arc winner Daryz, saddles her.

    The notable absentee is Diamond Necklace. O’Brien’s filly held an entry in the Fillies & Mares but does not appear on the current card. She finished third in the Arc.

    Fillies & Mares Stakes 2026 runners, riders and trainers

    14:40 Ascot

    Good

    Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1)

    • Flat Turf
    • Turf
    • 1m 3f 211y
    • Class 1
    • 15 runners
    • First Prize: £283,550
    • 2nd: £107,500
    • 3rd: £53,800
    • 4th: £26,800
    • 5th: £13,450
    • 6th: £6,750
    ITV
    Ascot

    Runners: 15 runners

    Type: Flat Turf

    Surface: Turf

    Weather: Partly sunny

    Win% is implied from the betting forecast
    1 Coedana uniform Coedana 22 days W: 9st 7lb Age: 4 yo Filly
    T: Edward Bethell
    OR: 105 RPR: 112 Form: -23161
    GG Racing Score 30% Ability 0.7/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 1.5/10 Course — Distance 9/10
    2 Danielle uniform Danielle 37 days W: 9st 7lb Age: 5 yo Filly
    J: James Doyle T: John & Thady Gosden
    OR: 111 RPR: 120 Form: 51-162
    GG Racing Score 48% Ability 5.7/10 Draw — Jockey 10/10 Trainer 4.2/10 Course 2.9/10 Distance 0/10
    3 Kalpana uniform Kalpana 13 days W: 9st 7lb Age: 5 yo Filly
    T: Andrew Balding
    OR: 125 RPR: 131 Form: -12115
    GG Racing Score 89% Ability 9.3/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 5.8/10 Course 10/10 Distance 10/10
    4 Minnie Hauk uniform Minnie Hauk 13 days W: 9st 7lb Age: 4 yo Filly
    T: A P O’Brien
    OR: — RPR: 132 Form: 152830
    GG Racing Score 80% Ability 10/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 9.2/10 Course 2.9/10 Distance 8/10
    5 See The Fire uniform See The Fire 35 days W: 9st 7lb Age: 5 yo Filly
    T: Andrew Balding
    OR: 113 RPR: 122 Form: -11632
    GG Racing Score 50% Ability 7.1/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 5.8/10 Course 0/10 Distance —
    6 Tajlina uniform Tajlina 132 days W: 9st 7lb Age: 4 yo Filly
    T: F-H Graffard
    OR: — RPR: 117 Form: 12-325
    GG Racing Score — Ability 2.9/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 2.3/10 Course — Distance —
    7 Tattycoram uniform Tattycoram 41 days W: 9st 7lb Age: 4 yo Filly
    T: Ralph Beckett
    OR: 110 RPR: 119 Form: 5-1158
    GG Racing Score 34% Ability 3.9/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 0/10 Course 2.9/10 Distance 6.5/10
    8 Amelia Earhart uniform Amelia Earhart 14 days W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly
    T: A P O’Brien
    OR: — RPR: 120 Form: 655233
    GG Racing Score 57% Ability 5.7/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 9.2/10 Course — Distance 2/10
    9 Believed uniform Believed 64 days W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly
    T: J P Murtagh
    OR: — RPR: 114 Form: 421331
    GG Racing Score 36% Ability 1.8/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 0.8/10 Course 7.1/10 Distance 6.5/10
    10 Inis Mor uniform Inis Mor 22 days W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly
    T: David Menuisier
    OR: 109 RPR: 120 Form: 013282
    GG Racing Score 41% Ability 5.7/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 3.1/10 Course — Distance 2/10
    11 Johanna Walsh uniform Johanna Walsh 58 days W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly
    T: Joseph Patrick O’Brien
    OR: — RPR: 127 Form: -31216
    GG Racing Score 70% Ability 8.2/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 6.9/10 Course 7.1/10 Distance 4.5/10
    12 Lilt uniform Lilt 34 days W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly
    T: William Haggas
    OR: 110 RPR: 119 Form: 1-162
    GG Racing Score — Ability 3.9/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 7.7/10 Course — Distance —
    13 Sparan Nua uniform Sparan Nua 41 days W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly
    T: J S Bolger
    OR: — RPR: 127 Form: 113429
    GG Racing Score — Ability 8.2/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance 4.5/10
    14 Sugar Island uniform Sugar Island 14 days W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly
    T: A P O’Brien
    OR: — RPR: 111 Form: 430700
    GG Racing Score 28% Ability 0/10 Draw — Jockey — Trainer 9.2/10 Course — Distance 2/10
    15 Symbol Of Majesty uniform Symbol Of Majesty 34 days W: 9st 1lb Age: 3 yo Filly
    J: William Buick T: John & Thady Gosden
    OR: 106 RPR: 114 Form: -15216
    GG Racing Score 30% Ability 1.8/10 Draw — Jockey 0/10 Trainer 4.2/10 Course 7.1/10 Distance —

    Terms and conditions

    *Odds displayed on this page are sourced directly from online bookmakers. Please check all details before placing your bet(s). 18+ only.

    Betting Forecast

    Coedana, Danielle, Kalpana, Minnie Hauk, See The Fire, Tajlina, Tattycoram, Amelia Earhart, Believed, Inis Mor, Johanna Walsh, Lilt, Sparan Nua, Sugar Island, Symbol Of Majesty

    Non-runners

    Bosphorus Rose, Club Class, Estrange, Lava Stream, Moody

    These are the key 10-year trends from Dave Young’s Champions Day trends:

    • All of the last 10 winners had 3 or more runs that season
    • All of the last 10 winners were drawn in stall 6 or higher
    • 9 of the last 10 winners had already won that season
    • 9 of the last 10 winners had already run at 1m4f
    • 8 of the last 10 winners had an OR of 111+
    • 8 of the last 10 winners came from the top 3 in the betting
    • 7 of the last 10 winners were 3-year-olds
    • 7 of the last 10 winners last ran 35 days ago or less
    • 6 of the last 10 winners last raced in France

    Stalls have not been drawn and there is no betting market yet, so the draw and top-three trends have to wait. Six of the last 10 winners last raced in France, which fits Kalpana and Minnie Hauk, who both ran in the Arc. Here is how the 15 measure up on the trends we can check now.

    Horse3yoWon in 2026Run at 1m4fRan within 35 days (days)OR
    Coedana✗✓✓✓ (22)105 ✗
    Danielle✗✓✓✗ (37)111 ✓
    Kalpana✗✓✓✓ (13)125 ✓
    Minnie Hauk✗✓✓✓ (13)121 ✓
    See The Fire✗✓✗✓ (35)113 ✓
    Tajlina✗––✗ (132)–
    Tattycoram✗✓✓✗ (41)110 ✗
    Amelia Earhart✓✓✓✓ (14)–
    Believed✓✓✓✗ (64)–
    Inis Mor✓✓✓✓ (22)109 ✗
    Johanna Walsh✓✓✓✗ (58)–
    Lilt✓✓✗✓ (34)110 ✗
    Sparan Nua✓✓✓✗ (41)–
    Sugar Island✓✗✓✓ (14)–
    Symbol Of Majesty✓✓✗✓ (34)106 ✗

    Kalpana and Minnie Hauk are the only older horses to pass every other check: both have won this season, have run at 1m4f and ran 13 days ago, and they are rated 125 and 121. However, three-year-olds have won seven of the last 10 runnings, and Amelia Earhart and Inis Mor are the younger fillies who meet the age, win, trip and recent-run trends. Inis Mor’s mark of 109 falls short of 111, while Amelia Earhart has no OR to check. Danielle is rated 111 but last ran 37 days before the race, two days outside the trend.

    Fillies & Mares Stakes past winners

    YearWinnerAgeTrainerJockey
    2025Kalpana4Andrew BaldingColin Keane
    2024Kalpana3Andrew BaldingWilliam Buick
    2023Poptronic4Karl BurkeSam James
    2022Emily Upjohn3John & Thady GosdenFrankie Dettori
    2021Eshaada3Roger VarianJim Crowley
    2020Wonderful Tonight3David MenuisierWilliam Buick
    2019Star Catcher3John GosdenFrankie Dettori
    2018Magical3Aidan O’BrienRyan Moore
    2017Hydrangea3Aidan O’BrienRyan Moore
    2016Journey4John GosdenFrankie Dettori

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