Staged in the middle of October after a gruelling season, often on deteriorating ground, Champions Day at Ascot has a knack for throwing up many a surprise result. From triple-digit starting prices to unbeaten champions, here are five of the biggest Champions Day upsets in recent years.
5. 2013 Fillies & Mares – Seal Of Approval (16/1)
The 2013 Fillies & Mares promised a thrilling renewal with half the field representing connections outside of Britain. Jonny Murtagh’s Belle De Cracy was arriving on the back of her Blandford Stakes, the Aga Khan owned Dalkala followed up her Middleton Stakes early on in the year with Group 1 success in the Prix de l’Opera, the German runner Nymphea produced a sparkling display in the Group 1 Preis Von Berlin, and the South African based Igugu was a dominant multiple Group 1 winner in her native.
Three of them were sent off the 7/2 favourite, including Oaks winner Talent, but it was the outsider of the field Seal Of Approval who sprung a major upset. She had won a Kempton handicap off 88 and the listed Chalice Stakes by a neck, prior to falling in the Park Hill Stakes en-route. Despite being rated just 99, she beat the strong, multiple Group 1 winning field by four lengths.
4. 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes – Bayside Boy (33/1)
The 2022 QEII looked to be a three way match up between Inspiral, Modern Games and The Revenant.
Inspiral’s record read 1111121 going into the contest, marking herself as one of the finest Fillies to come out of Clarehaven Stables and already a three time Group 1 winner. Modern Games, a Breeders’ Cup winner at two, returned that year to land the French 2000 Guineas and produced a dominant display in the Woodbine Mile and The Revenant was a winner of the race two years earlier, with the soft ground bringing him well into contention.
Bayside Boy had some strong form as a two year old, but had disappointed in his three year old campaign. He got off the mark in first time blinkers in listed company at Sandown, but he produced a huge jolt of improvement to take the QEII, with Inspiral failing to deliver for the punters back in sixth.
3. 2022 Champion Stakes – Bay Bridge (10/1)
The highly anticipated 2022 Champions Day crowd all flocked to see whether Baaeed, one of the best horses in the modern era, could retire to stud as an unbeaten champion.
The Sea The Stars colt had conquered all before him in his 10 races, and produced a career best performance by some way when upped to 10 furlongs for the fist time at York in the Juddmonte International.
However, despite initially travelling well, the wheels began to spin on the soft ground and his customary turn of foot was absent. Bay Bridge took the race to win his first Group 1.
2. 2023 Champions Long Distance Cup – Trawlerman (9/1)
The 2023 Long Distance Cup saw two of the reigning staying champions butting heads against each other. Kyprios had won seven in a row a season earlier including the Ascot Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup, and while he was returning from injury, his Irish St Leger second had put him right.
Trueshan obtained the crown of Britain’s leading stayer following the gradual demise of Stradivarius, and had won the race three times in a row. He was in strong form, coming off the back of a Doncaster Cup and a Prix du Cadran.
While Trawlerman had placed in the race a year prior, he’d beaten little of note since and still had to improve to beat the two staying giants, but a gutsy neck success saw him lower the Kyprios colour, who would beat him twice since in an eight-raced unbeaten streak.
1. 2025 Champions Sprint – Powerful Glory (200/1)
The Sprint division has been no stranger to a surprise in the last couple of years, but not even Houdini could’ve conjured up this result as Powerful Glory came home the strongest at 200/1.
The Cotai Glory colt was the Horris Hill winner a year prior, but he’d only had two races since, beaten 11 lengths in the Sandy Lane Stakes and three lengths in a Conditions Stakes at Beverley.
He was the lowest rated runner in the field, 20lbs inferior to the second Lazzat, who’d taken the Jubilee Stakes early on in the year.