A brand-new two-year-old conditions race worth £250,000 has been added to the 2025 Qipco British Champions Day schedule. The European Pattern Committee announced the promotion of the Long Distance Cup to a Group 1 at the same occasion, along with the announcement of the 6f contest, the specifics of which would be confirmed later in the year. The British Champions Series (BCS) will conclude after 14 years, despite Champions Day receiving more support. The BCS was established in 2011 and promoted 35 elite races over the Flat season, which began with the Guineas meeting at Newmarket and ended on Champions Day in October. Rod Street, the chief executive of the British Champions Series, stated that the Hall of Fame and Club 26 would be the main focus rather than the BCS, a racing club aimed at people aged between 18-26. Street said: “A valuable two-year-old race has long been an aspiration of ours and our sponsor.
We are thrilled to have established a new race that we can continue to grow in the years to come. As soon as feasible, we hope to obtain Pattern status for the race, and we will be collaborating with the BHA to do so.Particularly in its early years, the series helped draw attention to the path that led to Champions Day, but two more recent resources—Club 26 and the Hall of Fame—have surpassed it in terms of both profile and goal. This year’s Champions Day prize fund will reach £4.35 million, following the Long Distance Cup’s £50,000 prize fund increase to £500,000. Qipco announced last year that it would support Champions Day through at least 2026. David Redvers, racing manager to Qatar Racing and spokesman for Qipco, said: “We are proud to see that the Long Distance Cup has been upgraded and the introduction of a new juvenile race is a welcome addition and goes further towards making this one of the greatest championship days in horseracing worldwide.
“Sheikh Fahad and his brothers are also delighted to see the evolution of the Hall of Fame and that Club 26 has rapidly become one of the largest and most successful clubs of its type in horseracing.”
