Ascot Racecourse will stage a six-race Flat card on turf on Saturday, October 3, 2026, with racing beginning at 1:15 PM and the final contest scheduled for 4:10 PM. The programme features Listed and Group 3 races alongside a major Heritage Handicap, with distances ranging from five furlongs to one mile and four furlongs. The day’s highest prize is the £180,000 Challenge Cup.
The opening race at 1:15 PM is the British EBF October Stakes, a Class 1 Listed race over seven furlongs. Open to horses aged three years and upwards, the contest carries a total prize of £60,000. The seven-furlong distance will provide the first test of the afternoon on the Ascot turf.
At 1:50 PM, the m Rous Stakes will be contested over five furlongs. This Class 1 Listed race is open to three-year-olds and upwards and carries £60,000 in prize money. The short distance is expected to provide a sharp sprinting contest.
The m Cumberland Lodge Stakes follows at 2:25 PM. This Class 1 Group 3 race is open to horses aged four years and upwards and will be run over one mile, four furlongs and 20 yards. The contest carries £95,000 in prize money. The advertised distance includes an additional 29 yards, adding another middle-distance test to the card.
At 3:00 PM, the John Guest Racing Bengough Stakes will bring three-year-olds and upwards together over six furlongs. This Class 1 Group 3 race carries £95,000 and will provide another important sprinting contest at Ascot.
The feature race of the afternoon is scheduled for 3:35 PM with the Challenge Cup, a Class 2 Heritage Handicap over seven furlongs. Open to three-year-olds and upwards, the race carries the day’s highest prize of £180,000. The prestigious contest will provide a major test over the seven-furlong distance.
The final race at 4:10 PM is the Ascot Iron Stand Membership Handicap Stakes, a Class 2 contest over five furlongs. The race is open to three-year-olds and upwards rated between 0 and 105 and carries £45,000 in total prize money. The sprint contest will bring the six-race programme to a close.
The October 3 Ascot card combines high-level sprint and middle-distance racing, with two Listed races, two Group 3 contests and the £180,000 Challenge Cup forming the main features of the afternoon. The six races cover distances from five furlongs to one mile and four furlongs.
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