Saturday 17th October 2015 Ascot Racecourse Media Guide QIPCO British Champions Day Media Guide 03 Contents 03 Introduction from the Chief Executive 04 QIPCO British Champions Day Facts and Figures 05 Race Day Programme 06 Get involved with #ChampionsDay Foreword 07 Stobart Flat Jockeys’ Championship This year marks the fi fth running of QIPCO 08 How the Stobart Champion Flat Jockey title race has unfolded British Champions Day, the fi nale to the 10 Silvestre de Sousa Champion Jockey elect British and European fl at racing season and the richest raceday in the UK. Since its 14 The Principal contenders for the 2015 Stobart Flat Jockeys’ Championship inauguration in 2011 the day has established itself as one of the World’s most pre-eminent 16 Rising Stars Champion Apprentice Contenders racedays and has further cemented its 18 The race to be crowned Champion Owner position as the most valuable in the UK, with £4.1 million in prize money on offer this 20 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2) October. 23 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1) The day’s prestige is refl ected in the quality Likewise, we are also grateful to Stobart Group 26 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1) of the entries which included the winners of as sponsors of the Flat Jockeys’ Championship. 29 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes sponsored by QIPCO (Group 1) no fewer than 64 Group 1 races, including 15 Champions Day has always been an occasion European Classics. The calibre of this year’s card to enjoy the best of our sport and, as well as 34 QIPCO Champion Stakes (Group 1) is unrivalled in British racing and, with the newly celebrating some of the leading horses in training, 38 Balmoral Handicap (sponsored by QIPCO) upgraded QIPCO British Champions Sprint, now this year will see the Stobart Champion Flat Jockey 40 QIPCO British Champions Series 2015 Performance Tables includes four Group 1s, a Group 2 and the richest crowned on the day, together with the Champion mile handicap in Europe. Apprentice and the Champion Owner. 42 Leading Jockeys and Trainers at QIPCO British Champions Day Hosting top races, allied to signifi cant prize money Following on from the success of last year, we 44 Overseas Competitors increases has been instrumental in consistently will also be renewing and extending our offer 45 Top Races in the World 2013 & 2014 attracting some of the World’s best horses, trainers to students, allowing them to attend one of the 46 Racing Champions Students With Free Raceday and jockeys and, in doing so, has maintained the World’s best racedays for free. And, following on status of World-class racing in Britain. from a thrilling day’s racing, we will be showing 47 On the Day Activity the Rugby World Cup on the big screens as well as Of course, this is where having such a committed 48 Dubai Future Champions Festival hosting an after-party at which Brit-award winning sponsor in QIPCO is so crucial and we are grateful Paloma Faith will DJ. 49 Structure of the QIPCO British Champions Series for their generous sponsorship which has seen prize money values on the day increase by 37% 50 Background to QIPCO British Champions Series and QIPCO All in all, we are looking forward to another British Champions Day from the initial £3 million offered in 2011. Across memorable QIPCO British Champions Day and the whole Series prize money has increased by 51 Title and Media Partners hope to welcome you all then. 50% since its inception with £17.4 million offered 52 Ticket and Travel Information in 2015. And such support will continue with news 53 Contact List and Media Accreditation of QIPCO’s landmark, multi-million pound deal for British racing announced earlier this year, which Rod Street secures their investment in the sport for a further Chief Executive British Champions Series 10 years. 04 QIPCO British Champions Day Media Guide QIPCO British Champions Day Media Guide 05 QIPCO British Champions Race Day Programme Gates Open at 10:30am to allow sports fans to be able to enjoy Day Facts and Figures both the racing and rugby on the day. • 2015 marks the fi fth staging of QIPCO British • The Balmoral Handicap sponsored by QIPCO 10.30am – 12.00 noon: Behind the scenes tours of Ascot, taking in the pre-Parade Ring, Champions Day, the climax to the British and completes the race-day programme, with Her the Parade Ring, and heading out on to the course. Departing from European fl at racing season. Majesty The Queen graciously consenting to the the Old Paddock Lawns at regular intervals. naming of the race after her Scottish residence. • The collective purse for the six races is now a 10.30am – 3.00pm: The interactive horseracing zone with Meet a Racehorse and Jockey The richest mile handicap in Europe, competitors staggering £4.1 million, a 37% increase in value School, in partnership with the Pony Club. become eligible to run by fi nishing in the fi rst six from the inaugural meeting in 2011 and making 11.55am: Jockey Autograph signing session, with Lester Piggott, Richard of one of the 18 qualifying races during the 2015 QIPCO British Champions Day the single richest Hughes and Silvestre de Sousa fl at season. day in the British racing calendar. 12.15pm: Crowning of the new Stobart Flat Champion Jockey, in the Parade • The £1.3 million QIPCO Champion Stakes • QIPCO British Champions Day is the only Ring, presentation by Lester Piggott and Richard Hughes remains Europe’s richest mile and a quarter race. raceday in Great Britian to include four Group 1 12.45pm – First Race: The QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup races, following the upgrade to the QIPCO British • As well as celebrating our equine stars, QIPCO 1.20pm – Second Race: The QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes Champions Sprint Stakes whose prize money British Champions Day will also be the stage on has increased by 71% from £350,000 last year which the 2015 Stobart Flat Jockey Champion is 1.55pm – Third Race: The QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes to £600,000 this year. The remaining pattern crowned, together with the Champion Apprentice 2.10pm: Presentation to the Champion Apprentice Jockey of 2015 race on the card is the Group 2 QIPCO British and the Champion Flat Owner. in the Parade Ring Champions Long Distance Cup. 2.30pm – Fourth Race: The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) 3.05pm – Fifth Race: The QIPCO Champion Stakes 3.15pm: Win a Mini - Competition draw (entrants must be round the Parade Ring to win) 3.45pm – Sixth Race: The Balmoral Handicap (sponsored by QIPCO) 4.00pm: The QIPCO British Champions Day After-Party begins (located in the West End of the Grandstand, featuring DJ set from Paloma Faith) 4.00pm: Rugby World Cup Quarter Final Kick Off – shown on dedicated big screens on the Grandstand Lawns 7.30pm: The After-Party ends, and all bars will close All timings subject to change. 06 QIPCO British Champions Day Media Guide QIPCO British Champions Day Media Guide 07 Get involved on QIPCO British Champions Day #ChampionsDay! Where Champions are crowned The profi le of QIPCO British Champions Day The use of such devices, together with a raft of As well as celebrating some of the best horses in the World at QIPCO British Champions Day, we will be has risen enormously in the fi ve years since its on-the-day activity, resulted in our crowning the Champion Flat Jockey for the fi rst time. Generously sponsored by Stobart Group, the battle inception, as has the world of digital media. And to #ChampionsDay hashtag trending, with over to be crowned Champion in 2015 has been contested over a shortened Championship season that has keep the nation’s richest raceday at the forefront 11,000 mentions on the Saturday afternoon. run from 2nd May, QIPCO 2000 Guineas Day and will come to its conclusion on QIPCO British Champions of sporting audiences we have endeavoured to Day. This year we want to make QIPCO British keep up to date with the latest trends in the social Champions Day bigger and better than ever. To For the fi rst time there will be £105,000 of prize money for the Jockeys’ Championship funded by Great media sphere. get involved and join the conversation all you have British Racing and British Champions Series. This will see the Champion Jockey fi nancially rewarded for Twelve months ago we utilised a variety of to do is tweet or post on Facebook or Instagram their efforts with a prize of £25,000, bringing racing into line with other sports that remunerate their engaging and exclusive content to generate buzz using our #ChampionsDay hashtag. The best champions. However, there are fi nancial rewards and recognition for jockeys from across the Weighing around the fi nale to the fl at racing season and tweets and posts will fi nd their way onto our live Room. strengthened this conversation via tools such as Tweet Wall on the britishchampionsseries.com an on-course Twitter Mirror and a Tweet Wall for homepage throughout the week and the dedicated Jockeys’ Prize Money will be distributed as follows: the fi rst time ever at a global horseracing event. big screens at Ascot on the day. Champion Jockey: £25,000 Runner-up: £10,000 Champion Apprentice: £5,000 Leading Jockey (most wins throughout the full calendar year): £15,000 All-weather Champion: £10,000 PJA Welfare Scheme for all members: £25,000 Throughout the Championship a Jockey of the Month Award, in association with Channel 4, has been made by a panel of leading industry journalists and for which all members of the Weighing Room are eligible.