2024 British Champions Day Tips - Four outsiders to back at Ascot

Jon Vine

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Last updated: 18 Oct 2024

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Jon Vine 18 Oct 2024

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Four ante-post tips for British Champions Day 2024
This lucrative meeting takes place at Ascot on Saturday 19th October
Bucanero Fuerte, War Chimes and Wigmore Street feature in our early tips

Champions Day at Ascot. (Getty)

The 2024 flat season comes to an end on Saturday, as Ascot racecourse hosts British Champions Day.

Since 2012, there has only been one year where the going description on Champions Day hasn't featured the words soft or heavy and there's enough rain in the forecast to ensure we get similar ground this weekend. With the likely going in mind, here are four horses who offer plenty of value in the ante-post British Champions Day markets.

2024 British Champions Day Ante-Post Tips

1:55pm Ascot - Champions Sprint Stakes Tips

Ideally, Adrian Murray's horses would be in better form. However, 25/1 is still too big a price about BUCANERO FUERTE (25/1), who has already been confirmed in the final field.

Murray's raider went into the Sprint Cup on the back of a lengthy break and ran too keen, fading back to sixth as the hold-up horses powered home to challenge. Bucanero Fuerte stayed on again after getting outpaced to finish a four-length seventh in the Flying Five Stakes last time out. The form of that Group One was boosted massively in the Abbaye, with all of the six horses who finished ahead of him recording top-seven finishes at Longchamp.

Bucanero Fuerte is one-from-one on heavy ground and was only beaten a length in last year's Coventry Stakes on his only previous trip to Ascot. The 2023 Phoenix Stakes winner is yet to produce his best form this term. Hopefully that will change on Saturday.

2:35pm Ascot - Champion Fillies & Mares Stakes Tips

Another who is yet to build on the promise she showed as a juvenile is WAR CHIMES (20/1). David Menuisier's filly ended her two-year-old campaign with a five-length demolition job in the Prix Isonomy, thrashing Sosie, who has gone on to achieve great things this season.

After two low-key performances in France, I backed War Chimes at 100/1 in the Oaks at Epsom and was delighted to see Tom Marquand's mount see out the trip well to finish third ahead of future Irish Oaks winner You Got To Me. Menuisier's raider then struggled on quicker ground in that Irish Classic, where Seamie Heffernan didn't give his filly the greatest ride from a wide draw.

After that contest, Menuisier said that War Chimes would be given a holiday and this race was her return target. Billy Loughnane rides this strong stayer on Saturday and War Chimes is sure to relish the extra cut in the ground.

strensall stakes — Checkandchallenge (left) pushing See The Fire close in the Strensall Stakes. (Getty)

3:15pm Ascot - Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Tips

CHECKANDCHALLENGE (50/1) has finished fourth in the last two renewals of the QEII and it's not completely out of the realm of possibility that, based on his last two performances, he could challenge for the places once again.

After a poor start to the season, William Knight decided to geld his stable star at the start of July. Since then, Checkandchallenge has only been beaten by two progressive three-year-old fillies, losing out to See The Fire in the Strensall Stakes before suffering a neck-defeat to Skellet in the Fortune Stakes at Sandown.

Callum Shepherd's mount is at his best when there's plenty of ease in the ground and the stiff mile at Ascot clearly suits him well. He's certainly an each-way player.

4:35pm Ascot - Balmoral Handicap Tips

Joseph O'Brien has Irish Cambridgeshire winner WIGMORE STREET (25/1) entered in the Balmoral, along with a Listed race at Leopardstown the following day. Joseph has Listed winner Atlantic Coast earmarked for that contest too, so if Wigmore Street was confirmed on Thursday - maybe with Ryan Moore taking the ride, given he's owned by Michael Tabor - 25/1 will not be available.

O'Brien's four-year-old was having just his fifth career start, and second in handicap company, when he won the Irish Cambridgeshire under Moore. Since then, Wigmore Street has finished third behind good horses in a ten-furlong handicap on Irish Champions Weekend, before placing third again in the Navigation Stakes behind Mutasarref, who hoovers up those sorts of contests.

Given his inexperience, I doubt this new mark of 100 is near Wigmore Street's ceiling and I see no reason why he won't cope with the tricky ground conditions.

Verdict

2024 Champions Day Ante-Post Tips:

War Chimes

Champion Fillies & Mares Tips

@20/1 - 5 Units

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with bonus code NEWBONUS

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Bucanero Fuerte

Champions Sprint Tips

@25/1 - 5 Units

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In free bets

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Wigmore Street

Balmoral Handicap Tips

@25/1 - 5 Units

Bet £10 Get £30

with bonus code NEWBONUS

Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

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Checkandchallenge

QEII Stakes Tips

@50/1 - 5 Units

Bet £10 Get £20

In free bets

New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+. T&Cs apply. **18+. Online Only. Get paid out as a winner if your team is winning by 2 goals, even if you draw or lose. 90 mins only. Applies to Singles & Multiples. T&Cs apply.

Bet at BoyleSports