Trawlerman lands the 2025 British Champions Long Distance Cup under William Buick for trainers John & Thady Gosden.

British Champions Day

Ascot Racecourse hosts Britain’s richest raceday Saturday 17th October, with €5m/£4.35m in total prize money. The day features the Gp.1 British Champions Long Distance Cup (€590,000/£500,000), the Gp.1 British Champions Sprint Stakes (€590,000/£500,000), the Gp.1 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes (€590,000/£500,000), the Gp.1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (€1.26m/£1.1m), the Gp.1 Champion Stakes (€1.53m/£1.3m) and the 1600m (8f) Balmoral Handicap (€230,000/£200,000). Introduced in 2025, the 1200m/6f conditions race for two-year-olds is worth £250,000, for which entries closing 13th October, fee €1,442/£1,250. All other British Champions Day races close 4th August.

Ireland

The Irish Champions Festival takes place at Leopardstown and the Curragh 12th and 13th September respectively. On the opening day at Leopardstown, the nine-race card features five Group races, including the €1.25m (£1.05m) Gp.1 Irish Champion Stakes 2000m (10f), the €400,000 (£335,900) Gp.1 Matron Stakes, the €200,000 (£168,000) Gp.2 Solonaway Stakes, the €150,000 (£126,000) Gp.2 Juvenile Stakes, the €100,000 (£84,000) Gp.3 Tonybet Stakes, the Listed €100,000 (£84,000) Ingabelle Stakes and two Premier Handicaps each carrying €150,000 (£126,000). On the Sunday, the Curragh boasts the richest day of its year, with a card worth over €2.5m (£2.10m) in total. The highlights are the €600,000 (£503,865) Gp.1 Irish St Leger for three-year-olds and up, the Gp.1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and Gp.1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes for juveniles and Gp.1 sprint The Flying Five Stakes, each worth €400,000 (£335,900). The €200,000 (£168,000) Gp.2 Blandford Stakes, the €250,000 (£210,000) Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale Stakes and two Premier Handicaps each worth €150,000 (£126,000) complete the card. With the exception of the Irish St Leger which closed in May, entries for the Irish Champions Festival races close 24th June.

The Curragh has a designated Owners and Trainers Club, on Level 2 of the grandstand, where each owner and three guests may enjoy complimentary dining together, a bar, and a viewing terrace with designated seating for all owners with runners. In addition to the Irish Champions Festival, the Autumn Racing Weekend will be held at the Curragh 26th and 27th September, and includes the 1400m (7f) €1m (£850,000) Goffs Million, the richest race for two-year-olds in Europe, as well as the richest handicap in Europe the 3200m (16f) Irish Cesarewitch, worth €500,000 (£425,000). The meeting will also include the Gp.2 Beresford Stakes (€120,000/£101,700) 1600m (8f) for juveniles, the 1200m (6f) Gp.3 Renaissance Stakes (€60,000/£50,800), and 1400m (7f) Gp.3 Weld Park Stakes (€60,000/£50,800), the earliest closing for which being 19th August.

Germany

At the Baden-Baden Festival in September, the traditional Wednesday meeting has been moved to an evening meeting on Tuesday 30th September, with nine races scheduled. Hoppegarten Sunday 19th July sees a day in celebration of all sport and the feature race is the 2400m (12f) Gp.3 BBF Grand Prix Fürstenberg worth €55,000 (£47,565), for three-year-olds up. The highlight of the Berlin season is Sunday 9th August and the Gp.1 2400m (12f) Grand Prix de Berlin worth €155,000 (£134,047). The supporting programme includes three Listed races, the 1200m (6f) Fliegerpreis, the 1800m (9f) Mare's Prize and the 2800m (14f) Steherpreis. Concluding the season at Hoppegarten is the most popular day’s racing in Germany, the Day of German Unity Saturday 3rd October, with its highlight the 1800m (9f) Gp.2 Preis der Deutschen Einheit, marking the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Twirling Ghost with Per-Anders Gråberg up wins the 2025 Tattersalls Nickes Minneslöpning for trainer Roy Arne Kvisla.

Sweden

An approaching highlight is the 2400m (12f) Swedish Oaks Sunday 2nd August, while on Sunday 20th September the Stockholm Cup International meeting is held at Bro Park, the season's grand finale. Scandinavian elite and international challengers meet in the year's finest race for older horses and the card includes four black type races. The Gp.3 Stockholm Cup International 2400m (12f) for three-year-olds is worth SEK 1,000,000 (€90,159 / £77,490), and the three Listed races on the support card are each worth SEK 550,000 (€49,587 / £42,600) and open to three-year-olds and up, the Bro Park Sprint Championship 1200m (6f), the Tattersalls Nickes Minneslöpning 1600m (8f) and the Lanwades Stud Stakes for fillies 1600m (8f). Later Listed opportunities for three-year-olds up, each worth SEK 400,000 (€36,050 / £31,000), are the 2400m (12f) Skånska Fältrittklubbens Jubileumslöpning and the Peas and Carrots Mile over 1600m (8f) at Jägersro Galopp 6th October, and the 2100m (10.5f) Songline Classic at Bro Park 27th October.

France

Daryz with Mickael Barzalona after winning the 2025 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and ParisLongchamp racecourse.

The Gp.1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is the final of the Arc Races, a series that started with the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club in May and continues with the Prix de Diane 14th June Chantilly, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud 5th July Saint-Cloud, the Grand Prix de Paris 14th July ParisLongchamp, the Prix Jean Romanet 23rd August Deauville, and the three recognised Arc Trials in September. Any winners of the eight major races that are not yet entered in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe will receive a free Wild Card entry, while winners already entered will be refunded their entry fees (€8,300 / £7,200) by France Galop. If more than the maximum 24 runners are declared for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Arc Races winners will be given priority and will not be included in the elimination procedure. For horses who haven’t earned a Wild Card by September, the Qatar Arc Trials Sunday 6th September offer a Wild Card to the winners of the Prix Vermeille, Prix Niel and Prix Foy. Supplementary entry stage is15 days after the official closing date at a cost of €120,000 (£104,000).

Turkey

The Jockey Club of Türkiye hosts seven international races in Istanbul at Veliefendi Racetrack, as part of the International Racing Festival run on the first weekend in September. The highlights are the €130,000 (£112,000) 2000m (10f) Gp.2 Anatolia Trophy for three-year-olds up, the €245,000 (£210,000) Gp.2 1600m (8f) Topkapi Trophy for three-year-olds up. The Gp.3 2400m (12f) Bosphorus Cup is run for three-year-olds up and worth €196,500 (£168,000) and finally, the Gp.3 1600m (8f) Istanbul Trophy which runs for €163,000 (£140,000). Entries for all races close on 7th August. There is a generous transport subsidy for the international races - $18,000 for round-trip per horse arriving from the continents of America (North and South), Oceania, Africa and Far East countries, €12,000 (£10,400) for round trip per horse arriving from Europe or the United Arab Emirates. Any horses scratched from races after arrival by veterinary report will still receive transportation subsidy.

Bahrain

For the first time the 2000m (10f) Bahrain International Trophy will be a Gp.1 race this year with a prize fund of $1.5m (€1.31m), following an upgrade in the race’s status and an increase in prize money, making it the most valuable race in Bahrain. The showpiece will be run on Friday 13th November at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club and becomes the first Group 1 race to be staged in the country. Entries for the 2026 renewal of the Bahrain International Trophy close on Wednesday 30th September. Full race conditions can be found on the Bahrain Turf Club website: bahrainturfclub.com

His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Bahrain Turf Club, says, “This is a proud moment for The Kingdom of Bahrain. When we established the Bahrain International Trophy in 2019 it was always our ambition and belief that the race would grow to become our first Group 1 race. To have achieved that after only seven years is fantastic. Bahrain’s vision for horseracing is rooted in international collaboration, long-term development and a clear ambition to continue elevating the country’s status within the global racing landscape. I would like to thank all those who have supported the race in the past and we are looking forward to welcoming more visitors and more world-class horses for the 2026 Bahrain International Trophy.”

Yusuf Buheji, CEO of the Bahrain Turf Club, adds, “As well as the Bahrain International Trophy, the rest of our programme of premier races continues to grow, further increasing opportunities for international horses to compete throughout the season.”

The Bahrain International Trophy, for three-year-olds up and run on turf, includes prize money down to fifth place (€52,400) and is worth $900,000 (€786,000) to the winning horse. Two of the 14 places in the race will be reserved for domestically-trained horses. There is no entry fee and no declaration fee. Supplementary entry stage for horses trained outside of The Kingdom of Bahrain is Tuesday 20th October at a fee of $25,000 (€22,000) and will only be charged subject to the horse declaring. Final declaration noon (Bahrain time) Monday 10th November. Declarations to be made to: racing@rehc.gov.bh

Three “Win and You’re In” races will grant automatic invitations to the Bahrain International Trophy to the winners of Japan’s Gp.2 Sapporo Kinen and in Europe the Gp.3 Strensall Stakes at York in August and the Gp.1 Kingdom of Bahrain Irish Champions Stakes in September. The second and third home in the Kingdom of Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes will also receive automatic invitations. Acceptances from winners of those races must be confirmed within 14 days of the entry. The Bahrain Turf Club will provide air tickets to Bahrain for overseas connections and hotel accommodation on a room-only basis. The shipment of invited horses will be arranged and paid for by the Bahrain Turf Club.

New York

Belmont Park re-opens 18th September with an abundance of new bonuses, increases in prize money averaging 15% and additional incentives to be launched by NYRA. $455m (€397m) has been used to redesign and rebuild the campus and construct a smaller modern grandstand and clubhouse, while an additional $100m (€873m) was invested by NYRA in revamping the two turf courses, the main track and also adding a fourth all-weather Tapeta surface. The new grandstand, accommodating up to 10,000 racegoers, will not be fully opened until spring 2027, but the first two of the five floors will be open on 18th September.

Stellify (6), ridden by Florent Geroux, breaks from the starting gate before going on to win the 2025 Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon Invitational.

The $1m (€857,700 / £743,400) Gr.1 Jockey Club Gold Cup over 2000m (10f) for three-year-olds and up will be the opening day’s feature. Of particular interest is the Belmont Big Apple Bonus, a new initiative created to reward owners and trainers for participating in the fall meet at the new Belmont Park, from 18th September through to 30th April 2027. Scheduled to launch with the opening of the fall meet 18th September, the Big Apple Bonus will provide up to $8,500 (€7,290 / £6,320) in awards per horse shipping or relocating to Belmont Park from other racing jurisdictions.

The cost of shipping from Europe could be recovered after three starts thanks to the bonuses. Structured into two levels, Tier A covers horses relocating from less than 400 miles, while Tier B applies to horses relocating from further than 400 miles with a $6,000 (€5,100 / £4,400) bonus paid upon the horse's first Belmont Park start ($4,000 to the owner, $2,000 to the trainer). Owners and trainers currently based at NYRA are fully eligible for these bonuses, which complement the record overnight purses to be offered during the fall meet. Any horse that qualifies under Tier A or Tier B is eligible for the Third Consecutive Start Bonus. Upon a horse’s third consecutive start at NYRA following a Tier A or Tier B bonus, a Third Consecutive Start Bonus of $2,500 (€2,144 / £1,860) will be paid in full to the owner that earned the original bonus. Any horse that runs at a non-NYRA track after qualifying for a Tier A or Tier B bonus will forfeit their eligibility for the Third Consecutive Start Bonus.

Andrew Offerman, SVP, Racing & Operations, NYRA, clarifies, “The bonus would apply to Europeans, but it should be noted that Graded stakes are excluded from this programme as they are guided by a separate shipping program. Our international stakes shipping programme is managed in coordination with the International Racing Bureau (IRB) and all details of shipping should be checked with the IRB.”

First-time starters are ineligible and horses making their first start at NYRA for less than $20,000 claiming are only eligible for 50% of the respective bonus, however, horses that qualify via this bonus will receive the Third Consecutive Start bonus in full. The Tier A bonus is limited to the first 250 horses and the Tier B bonus is limited to the first 350 horses. In the event the total horse cap is reached, all horses entered and listed on an overnight and that run will be paid out. The Third Start bonus will continue to be paid after the cap. Horses running at NYRA tracks in Graded Stakes are eligible for NYRA’s shipping incentive programme but are not eligible for this bonus.

Wimbledon Hawkeye and Frankie Dettori (right) outduels Burnham Square and Brian Hernandez to win the 2025 Nashville Derby Invitational.

The new Belmont will not be featuring any National Hunt racing at present and the entire steeplechase schedule will be run at Saratoga for 2026.

Kentucky Downs

Kentucky Downs is home to America's only European-style 2000m (10f) all turf racecourse, as well as being America’s most lucrative racemeeting, racing exclusively on 29th and 30th August and 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th September. Entries close from 17th August, when emailed expressions of interest must also have arrived for the invitationals. For all invitational races send a request for consideration to: stakeinvites@kentuckydowns.com by the closing date.

The meet features over $40 million in total purses, including funds from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF). Notable purse highlights include maiden races worth $170,000 and allowance races valued at up to $250,000.

Remember that only Kentucky-bred horses can run for the full purse but all races are open to horses born outside of the Bluegrass State.

The 2026 stakes schedule consists of 19 total stakes races, all held on turf, with 11 of these being graded stakes. A record 11 stakes offer purses of at least $1 million. The premier event is the Grade 3 Nashville Derby Invitational, which carries a $3 million total purse.

Other significant races include the Kentucky Downs Turf Cup - a $2 million Invitational race held on September 5th. The Mint Millions Invitational - a $2 million race scheduled for September 7th and the Dueling Grounds Oaks Invitational -a $2 million race taking place on September 9th.

The Gun Runner - a $1.75 million race goes on September 7th and the Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational - worth $1.75 million race runs on September 3rd. Two races on the September 5th card, the Music City Stakes and the Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint, are designated as Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" events. The total stakes purses for the meet amount to $25,750,000, which includes $12,500,000 from the KTDF for Kentucky-bred horses.

Aerial rendering of the new Belmont Park grandstand overlooking the historic racetrack and paddock.

Ireland National Hunt

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has confirmed the series of Academy Hurdles introduced between October and December 2025 will resume in October 2026 through to the spring of 2027, with more opportunities for horses in this category, fitting neatly with the National Hunt store sales. Last year HRI added seven Academy Hurdles to its programme restricted to three-year-olds to encourage an earlier start to hurdling in Ireland. 40% of runners were fillies and an ITBA Mares Bonus of €5,000 goes to any filly registered for the scheme winning an Academy Hurdle. Sales vouchers are also available for horses finishing the in first three. The programme of races for the latter part of this year will be released in the middle of July as part of the Provisional Summary for September to December 2026.

Last October HRI also announced revised conditions that will broaden the reach of the Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction and Median Maiden/Novice Hurdles over the NH season ahead. These will begin in September and, having previously been targeted towards store horses, they will include foals and yearlings that sold for €15,000 or less. They also include a median auction element to assist owner-breeders of a horse with a sire where the median auction value is below €15,000 that did not go through a sale.

A Reminder of Early Closers

The Gp.2 Mill Reef Stakes, Newbury 19th September, closes 28th July. The Doncaster St Leger meeting Group races, including the St Leger, close Tuesday 4th August, as does Newmarket’s Gp.1 Sun Chariot Stakes run on 3rd October. Also closing 4th August, October’s QIPCO British Champions Day races. The following Tuesday 11th August, entries close for September’s Ayr Gold Cup, and Newmarket’s Rockfel Stakes, Cambridgeshire Handicap, Middle Park Stakes, Cheveley Park Stakes and Royal Lodge Stakes.

Have Horse will travel – Summer