Ascot's British Champions Day 2026 Offers Five Group 1 Races and Free Streams

The card features seven races, beginning at 12.55pm BST with the new £250,000 Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes over six furlongs. The Qatar Racing Long Distance Cup has been upgraded to Group 1, taking the number of top-level races to five. The first race is scheduled for 7.55am ET and 10.55pm AEDT.

The £1.3 million Champion Stakes at 4pm BST (11am ET) is the headline contest over one mile, one furlong and 212 yards. Last year's 1-2-3 Calandagan, Ombudsman and Almaqam lead the runners. The £1.1 million Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at 3.20pm BST (10.20am ET) is run over a straight mile, with Ten Bob Tony among the favorites after winning the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier this year; Talk of New York, Gstaad and Rayif are also tipped to challenge.

In the UK, ITV1 and ITVX will show the meeting live and free, with coverage starting at 12.45pm BST. TechRadar says viewers need an account, a TV licence and a UK postcode. In Ireland, Virgin Media Play offers free coverage. In Australia, Racing.com will show the event from 10.45pm AEDT, with streaming through 7Plus Sport and Foxtel Now.

For U.S. viewers, Fox has coverage on FS1 from 8am to 11am ET and on FS2 from 11am to 12pm ET. Fox is available through Fox One from $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year, or through Sling's Blue plan from $45.99 a month. Fox is also carried by Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, each of which offers a free trial to new users, according to the guide.

TechRadar says there appears to be no live coverage of British Champions Day 2026 in Canada. For viewers from the UK or Ireland who are outside their home country, the guide recommends NordVPN to access ITVX or Virgin Media Play and says the service is discounted by up to 75%.