Last year’s race

• Winner: Puerto Rico
• Jockey: Sean M Levey
• Trainer: Aidan P O'Brien
• Owner: Mrs John Magnier, Mr M Tabor & Mr D Smith
• Age: 2 Weight: 9st 2lbs
• Starting Price: 15/2
• Season Form Figures: 42224
• Previous Best: 2nd - Markel Richmond Stakes (Group 2), Goodwood (July 2025)

By Paul Jones

In two of the last four years a runner from the Champagne Stakes went on to win a Classic the following season. The 2022 winner, Chaldean, went on to become the first winner of this prize to go on to win the 2000 Guineas since Rodrigo De Triano in 1991 and the following season Rosallion won the Irish 2,000 Guineas after he finished third here behind Iberian when an odds-on disappointment. The big flop here 12 months ago, Gewan (fourth as favourite) the caused a surprise winning the Dewhurst on his next start.

Just one winner in the last 29 years has been sent off at bigger than 8/1 and the biggest priced winner in the race’s near 200-year history (first run in 1823) was a 20/1 shot, so stick to the leading fancies.

It used to be a case of favouring last-time-out maiden winners (eight winners between 1999-2016) over Group-race winners but four of the last 11 victors (Estidkhaar - July Stakes, Too Darn Hot - Solario Stakes, Threat - Gimcrack Stakes and Chaldean - Acomb Stakes) had won a pattern race on their previous outing. Estidkhaar and Threat were good enough to overcome a 3lb penalty for their Group 2 successes.

Winning form at 7f has been preferable with 16 of the last 22 winners having done so beforehand. Last year’s winner, Puerto Rico, however, was a maiden entering Doncaster after five runs.

If you prefer to concentrate on pattern-race form, Glorious Goodwood has been the best marker. Historically, the winners of the Richmond Stakes (6f) or Vintage Stakes (7f) have fared well here, though admittedly not for some time. Sri Pekan (1994) and Daggers Drawn (1997) followed up here after winning the Richmond Stakes over 6f (last season’s Champagne winner, Puerto Rico, was second in the Richmond), whilst Alhaarth (1995) and Lucky Story (2003) took the Champagne Stakes straight off the back of landing the Vintage Stakes (7f). Iberian was second in the Vintage Stakes before he took this race last season and the 2017 winner, Seahenge, also contested the Vintage Stakes where he was back in fifth.

Godolphin have won four of the last 17 runnings (and supplied the second and third in 2016 and the 2019 runner-up) and they would also have bagged three more wins between 2000-2002 but for Sheikh Mohammed’s policy at the time to have his two-year-olds in training with David Loder, who saddled Noverre (Godolphin silks), Dubai Destination (Sheikh Mohammed silks) and Almushahar (Hamdan Al Maktoum silks), so be in no doubt that this operation has a soft spot for this prize, as it does the fillies’ equivalent race at this meeting, the May Hill.

Although Rosallion was beaten as the 4/5 favourite when he pulled far too hard and has won three Group 1 races subsequently, the Hannon stable won the 2011, 2012, 2019 and 2020 runnings with Trumpet Major, Toronado, Threat and Chindit having also won the 1986 edition with their 2000 Guineas winner, Don’t Forget Me, so their entries should also be noted.

John Gosden twice won this Group 2 contest in the 1980s but his subsequent six runners have failed to place until Too Darn Hot won eight years ago.