The British Flat season is set for a thrilling conclusion at Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday, with the UK Flat trainers’ championship set to be decided. Andrew Balding and Aidan O’Brien are locked in a head-to-head battle for the title.
Both trainers have already surpassed John Gosden’s 2017 record prize-money total of £8.52m, and are likely to be the first trainers to reach £9m in prize money in a calendar year in Britain. O’Brien starts the week as a 1-2 shot with Paddy Power, while Balding is 6-4.
O’Brien will have a significant numerical advantage in terms of runners, with 15 possible entries compared to Balding's four. However, O'Brien has not had a Group One winner on Champions Day since 2019.