Watch British Champions Day 2026 live streams as some of the best horses, jockeys and trainers in the world head to the iconic Ascot Racecourse for the biggest meeting of the European flat racing season. With £4.35m in total prize money on offer, it is Britain’s richest raceday and features no fewer than five Group 1 contests.
The day represents the finale of the British Champions Series and promises high-quality action throughout, headlined by the £1.3m Champion Stakes (11am ET/ 4pm BST). Last year’s 1-2-3 of Calandagan, Ombudsman and Almaqam lead an all-star list of runners, who will battle it out over one mile, one furlong and 212 yards.
That race is preceded by the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (10.20am ET / 3.20pm BST), which is worth £1.1m and run over a straight mile. Ten Bob Tony is among the favorites after winning the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier this year, with Talk of New York, Gstaad and Rayif also tipped to challenge.
The day features seven races in total, with the upgrade of the Qatar Racing Long Distance Cup taking the number of Group 1 contests to five. Meanwhile, the meeting begins with the new Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes over six furlongs, which is worth £250,000 and will provide a tantalizing appetiser to the day ahead.
Read on for our guide on where to watch British Champions Day 2026 live streams online, on TV and potentially for free wherever you are.
Yes. British Champions Day 2026 is free-to-air in the UK on ITVX, in Ireland on Virgin Media Play and on Racing.com in Australia.
Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch British Champions Day 2026 as if you were right at home. NordVPN is our top pick of the options.
A VPN is a handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it’s back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with up to 75% off.
Horse racing fans in the US can watch British Champions Day 2026 on Fox, which has live coverage on FS1 from 8am to 11am ET. FS2 then takes over from 11am to 12pm.
You can subscribe to Fox through the FOX One streaming service, which starts at $19.99/month or $199.99/year.
If you don’t have the channel on cable, it’s available through Sling – specifically the Blue plan, which starts at $45.99/month.
Alternatively, Fox is also carried by Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, each of which offers a free trial to new users.
Visiting the US from the UK or Ireland? Use NordVPN to watch free-to-air British Champions Day 2026 coverage.
Unfortunately, there appears to be no live coverage of British Champions Day 2026 in Canada.
If you’re from the UK or Ireland, a VPN will help you tune in for free. NordVPN is our recommended provider, and you can find out why with our in-depth NordVPN review.
As mentioned above, horse racing fans in the UK can watch British Champions Day 2026 live and for free on ITV1, with streaming available via the ITVX streaming service.
The coverage gets underway at 12.45pm BST, with the first race at 12.55pm.
All you need is an account, a TV license and a UK postcode (e.g.HA9 0WS). Sign up here!
Outside the UK? You’ll need to download a VPN, as detailed above, to tap into your free British Champions Day 2026 stream from abroad.
British Champions Day 2026 is being shown on free-to-air Racing.com in Australia, with coverage beginning at 10.45pm AEDT.
Viewers can stream Racing.com through 7Plus Sport and Foxtel Now.
Not in Australia? Use NordVPN if you’re away from home, in order to tap into your British Champions Day 2026 coverage from anywhere.
Saturday, October 17
12.55pm: Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes (Class 2) (2YO only) 6f
1.30pm: British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 1) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 2m
2.05pm: British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 6f
2.40pm: British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 1m 4f
3.20pm: Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 1m
4.00pm: Champion Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 1m 2f
4.35pm: Balmoral Handicap (Class 2) (3YO plus) 1m
(All times BST)
The total British Champions Day prize fund across the seven races is £4.35m, making it the richest single raceday in British horse racing.
The two most lucrative races are the Champion Stakes, which is worth £1.3m, followed by the £1.1m Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Disclaimer
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Watch British Champions Day 2026 live streams as some of the best horses, jockeys and trainers in the world head to the iconic Ascot Racecourse for the biggest meeting of the European flat racing season. With £4.35m in total prize money on offer, it is Britain’s richest raceday and features…
