Blake’s Champions Day Picks Highlight Ascot’s Global Racing Weekend

Ahead of the Qatar Racing British Champions Day at Ascot on 17 October 2026, leading racing analyst Kevin Blake set out his selections on At The Races, including picks at odds of 20-1 and 14-1, in a preview published on 16 October 2026.

Blake’s video, which drew close to 18,300 views within two days of release, focused heavily on the Champions Sprint and the Long Distance Cup, two of the marquee races that make up Ascot’s end-of-season showpiece. He flagged a Scandinavian-trained runner as a potential upset candidate in the sprint, arguing that the field’s pace shape could suit a horse coming from off a stronger scene abroad. He also discussed an Aidan O’Brien-trained contender, suggesting the Ballydoyle operation’s depth gives it a realistic chance of adding to its Champions Day history.

Champions Day itself brings together some of the best middle-distance and sprint talent in Europe, run under conditions sponsored by Qatar Racing, and it typically draws major connections from Britain, Ireland and further afield. The meeting’s status as a season finale means that trainers and jockeys often target it specifically, giving tipsters like Blake plenty of form threads to unpick across the card. His longer-priced selections, at 20-1 and 14-1, reflect the value-driven approach that has made his previews a regular watch for bettors looking beyond the obvious market leaders.

What made this particular weekend notable beyond Ascot itself was its place in the wider global racing calendar. On the very same weekend as the Qatar Racing British Champions Day, Saudi Arabia’s racing season got underway at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on 16 October 2026, with the Riyadh season running through to the $20-million Saudi Cup in February. Global racing roundups covered the two meetings side by side, treating them as the sport’s headline storylines for the weekend. For readers tracking how interest in Riyadh’s new season is developing, those following the market can compare Horse Race Betting in Saudi Arabia alongside the traditions on display at Ascot.

Ascot’s Champions Day card is run under the oversight of the British Horseracing Authority, the sport’s governing body in Britain, which sets the rules and safety standards for fixtures across the calendar, including the British Horseracing Authority‘s framework for major Group races like those featured at the meeting. The involvement of a national governing body underlines how significant the fixture is within the domestic racing structure, distinct from the commercial sponsorship provided by Qatar Racing.

Blake’s willingness to back outsiders at double-figure odds is consistent with his broader reputation among racing fans as a tipster who looks past short-priced favourites. By highlighting the Scandinavian-trained sprinter and an O’Brien runner with less obvious claims on paper, he gave viewers reasons to consider alternatives to the market’s shorter prices heading into Saturday’s card. Whether either selection delivers will only become clear once the races are run, but the preview itself reflects the depth of analysis that now surrounds a meeting of Champions Day’s stature.

Taken together, the Ascot card and the start of the Riyadh season illustrate how horse racing’s biggest weekends increasingly unfold across multiple continents at once. Fans in Britain focused on Qatar Racing British Champions Day were, in the same news cycle, reading about a new campaign beginning thousands of miles away in Saudi Arabia. That overlap is likely to become more common as both jurisdictions continue to build out their respective racing calendars in the years ahead.