The Qipco Champion Stakes will be one of four group 1’s taking place at Ascot on Saturday 17th October for the fourth Champions’ Day. Previously run at Newmarket, the race was moved to Ascot in 2011.



Below we take a look at the trends for the past 10 years:



Age

3yo: 3-5-38

4yo: 2-6-39

5yo: 4-4-20

6yo+: 1-4-10

There’s not a huge amount to go on from the age, though older horses (aged 5+) have won 5 of 10 despite only representing 28% of total runners.

2 of 5 winners aged 5+ finished in the first 2 in the previous year’s race.



Gender

Fillies and mares (1-3-12) have gained 1 win in the past 10 years from approximately 11% of the total. However it has been the older brigade that have done better with 4yo+ (1-2-9) accounting for the win and 2 of the 3 places and the 3yo fillies (0-1-3) gaining just 1 place from 3 runners.



Breeding

8 of 10 winners were sired by a horse with a stamina index of 9.2F to 11.2F

Progeny of Galileo: 1531391 (3-1-7)



Recent/Past Form

10 of 10 winners had won a class 1 race that season

7 of 10 winners won last time out (3 exceptions were 2nd or 3rd in a group 1 or 2)

9 of 10 winners posted an RPR of 116+ last time (exception posted RPR of 127 on previous start)

9 of 10 winners had won over 1M 2F (1 exception had been placed in group 1's on all 3 previous runs over this trip)

6 of 10 winners had won a group 1 (3 exceptions finished 2nd in a group 1)

9 of 10 winners had run at least 4 times that season (exception won group 1 on sole start)

7 of 10 winners had their last start at Goodwood, Leopardstown or Longchamp

4 of last 5 winners aged 3 had won a group or listed race as a 2yo



Other races

Huxley Stakes winner (Maverick Wave): 360031 (1-2-6)

Prix Du Prince D'Orange winner (Karaktar): 10 (1-0-2)

Mooresbridge Stakes winner (Fascinating Rock): 2 (0-1-1)

Royal Whip Stakes winner (Found): 2 (0-1-1)

Enterprise Stakes winner (Fascinating Rock): 3 (0-1-1)

Prix Ganay winner (Cirrus Des Aigles): 25 (0-1-2)

Irish Derby winer (Jack Hobbs): 6 (0-0-1)

Dubai Duty Free Arc Trial winner (The Corsican): 06 (0-0-2)

Joel Stakes winner (Time Test): 048 (0-0-3)

York Stakes winner (Tullius): 7056 (0-0-4)

3 of 7 winners aged 4+ ran in Grand Prix de Saint Cloud, finishing 121

3 of 7 winners aged 4+ ran in the Lockinge, finishing 311

2 of 7 winners aged 4+ ran in Prince Of Wales Stakes, finishing 42

2 of 7 winners aged 4+ ran in the Eclipse, finishing 71

2 of 7 winners aged 4+ ran in Prix Ganay, finishing 43

2 of 3 winners aged 3 ran in that season's 2000 Guineas, finishing 02

3 of 10 winners ran in the Juddmonte International, finishing 321

2 of 10 winners ran in the Sussex Stakes, finishing 71

2 of 10 winners ran in the Irish Champion Stakes, finishing 13



Trainers

Corinne Barande-Barbe (1-2-4) trained Cirrus Des Aigles to win it in 2011 and finish 2nd, 2nd & 4th in the past 3 years.

Alain De Royer-Dupre (1-1-3) saddled Pride to finish 1st & 2nd in this. All 3 of his runners have been female.

Surprisingly Aidan O’Brien (0-3-9) and John Gosden (0-1-9) have both failed to ever train the winner of this race.

Roger Charlton (0-1-1) & Dermot Well (0-1-1) saddled the 2nd & 3rd last year.

Andre Fabre (0-1-3) won this in 1991 & 1994 but has only gained 1 place from 4 runners since 2000.

French–based trainers (3-6-20) have done well, gaining 3 wins and 6 places from approximately 18.7% of the total runners.



Price

Not a strong trends race on prices with winners varying from 6/5 to 25/1.

Favourites (2-4-10) have a poor record, winning just 2 of last 10 & show a level stakes loss of 6.62.



Summary:

Based on trends from the past 10 years you are looking for a horse:

- Sired by a horse with a stamina index of 9.2F and 11.2F (ideally by Galileo)

- 3yo who won a class 1 race as a 2yo & ran in 2000 Guineas

- 4 or 5yo that placed in 2014 Champions Stakes, Juddmonte Int’l and/or Lockinge

- Run at least 4 times in 2015 & won a class 1 race this year

- Won last time out (or 2nd/3rd in a group 1)

- Posted an RPR of 116+ last time

- Won over 1M 2F (or placed in group 1 over this trip)

- Previously finished in the first 2 in a group 1

- Trained in France.