Champion Stakes Betting Tips, Winners & History

Next Race: TBD

The next renewal of this race has not been scheduled yet. We will update this once the schedule has been released for next season. The race info, trends and tips shown below will be updated for the next renewal once the final declarations have been made.

Champion Stakes Betting Tips

Note: The following tips are from 2020. Tips for the next renewal will be added once the final declarations have been made.

The three and four year olds boast the best record overall in this contest, with 15 of the 20 editions since the turn of the century falling to a runner from that age bracket. Only one runner aged older than five has proved successful over this period – a stat which speaks against the eight year old, Desert Encounter, in particular.

Two-time winner Frankie Dettori possesses the best record of this year’s riders. Having landed back to back renewals aboard Cracksman in 2017 and 2018, the irrepressible Italian gets the leg up on the well fancied Mishriff this time around.

The favourite has come home in front in each of the past four renewals of this, having won only one of the six editions prior to that. That 50% strike rate (over the last decade) is impressive enough, but with the biggest SP returned by a winning jolly being 13/8, and the shortest just 2/11, supporters of the market leader have only barely done better than break even over this period. There have been two winners at double-digit odds over the last 10 years (Fascinating Rock at 10/1 in 2015 and Cirrus Des Aigles at 12/1 in 2011).

Looking at all the major trends (excluding age) there are three who tick all the right boxes: Addeybb, Pyledriver and Magical. For trends fans these are the obvious options, with an official rating over 117, an expected SP below 14/1 and a previous place in a Group 1 perhaps the three most important trends.

Magical – 7/4

Up until last year Aidan O’Brien had not yet won this prize. That is pretty surprising considering the master handler’s record in just about every other British and Irish Group 1 over the past 10 years or so. The horse to break O’Brien’s duck in the race in 2019 was one of the yard’s real stars – Magical – and this year this wonderful mare returns to defend her crown.

Now a seven-time winner at the highest level, these look to be her optimum conditions, with the past six of those successes having come over this 1m2f trip. The daughter of Galileo is actually only the fourth top rated runner in the field, but emerges on top of the pile from a handicapping perspective once her 3lb mare’s allowance is factored in.

As a five year old, she isn’t an ideal fit in terms of age, but on this season’s form seems as well as, if not better than, ever. A winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes and the Tattersalls Gold Cup on her first two starts, she was then turned over by Ghaiyyath in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York. There’s no real shame in being beaten by the top-rated racehorse in the world though, particularly as she then gained her revenge when forging past Ghaiyyath to land the Irish Champion Stakes last time out. With subsequent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero, Sottsass, back in fourth that day, that’s the single strongest piece of recent form on offer here and she looks a worthy market leader.

Mishriff – 7/2

Of the two John Gosden runners in the field, Lord North is certainly not to be dismissed having landed the Prince of Wales’s Stakes over course and distance earlier in the season. However, the yard’s best chance may well come in the shape of the Frankie Dettori ride, Mishriff.

As a three year old this one is a good fit in terms of age and courtesy of his 4lb weight for age allowance emerges slightly better in at the weights than his stablemate. On top of all that, the son of Make Believe also heads into the race in the form of his life, having landed each of his past three starts in eye-catching stye.

A winner of the Listed Newmarket Stakes back in June, the step up to Group 1 company for the Prix Du Jockey Club at Chantilly then proved to be no issue as he produced his trademark finishing burst to see off The Summit and the highly regarded Victor Ludorum.

Those two rivals reopposed in a heavy ground Group 2 at Deauville last time out, and this time the result was even more emphatic, as Mishriff scorched clear for a 4½l success. That ability to handle soft conditions is particularly encouraging considering the likely going for this. A perfect three from three at around this trip headed into the race, he is fancied to go very close to making it four from four.

Addeybb – 10/1

Of the older performers in the field, one who seems likely to go well is the William Haggas-trained Addeybb. As said, this one ticks a lot of trend boxes and at 10/1 is sure to attract plenty of each way cash. He put in an excellent effort in this race 12 months ago, when beating all bar this year’s favourite, Magical. Looking set to be granted his favoured soft conditions, he may well go close once again.

He may be six years old now, so another not perfectly placed in terms of age, but on this season’s efforts, this son of Pivotal would appear to be in the form of his life, and now up to a mark of 122, is actually the second best horse in the field on official ratings.

Beginning the season with back to back Group 1 successes down in Australia, he returned to home soil for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, where he ran a cracker to finish second to Lord North on ground far quicker than ideal. Stepped back down into Listed company last time out, he was then workmanlike more than impressive in giving 7lbs and a beating to a useful field at Ayr.

That effort ought to at least have teed him up nicely for what is his major late season target though. Boasting career form figures of 421312111 over this trip when the word soft has featured in the ground description, the evidence would suggest he is unlikely to be too far away. At 10/1 he may well be the value option here in a race with so many viable contenders.