For British Champions Day at Ascot, wear an equestrian print shirt under a heavier jacket, tweed, flannel or navy wool, with tailored trousers and polished brown shoes; add a plain silk tie if you are in the King Edward VII Enclosure, and skip it in the Queen Anne. That is the answer. The details are where the day is won.
QIPCO British Champions Day falls on Saturday 17 October 2026, gates at 10:30, first race at 12:55, the last at 16:40. It is the richest raceday in Britain and the flat season's closing argument, and it is the one race meeting of the year where the dress question has a genuine autumn answer. Royal Ascot in June is morning dress and heat; Champions Day is the same grandstand in October light, with copper in the trees and a wind off the heath. The summer race-day wardrobe does not translate. This is the day the equestrian print earns a jacket over it.
What is the dress code for British Champions Day?
Ascot keeps it simple in October. In the King Edward VII Enclosure a formal code applies: gentlemen wear a jacket with a collared shirt and a tie, with tailored trousers, and trainers, sportswear and novelty attire are not permitted. In the Queen Anne Enclosure there is no formal dress code, but racegoers are encouraged to dress for a smart occasion, and in practice almost everyone does.
Read that as two outfits built on one shirt. In the King Edward VII, an equestrian print under a tweed or navy jacket with a plain silk tie in one colour taken from the print; the tie satisfies the code, the shirt satisfies you. In the Queen Anne, the same shirt buttoned to the collar with no tie, the jacket open, which is the Claudio Lugli way to wear it and the smarter of the two looks in most photographs.
What do you wear to Ascot in October as a man?
The principle is the same one that runs every Claudio Lugli race-day guide, from Glorious Goodwood to the St Leger: wear the sport on the shirt and keep the tailoring plain. What changes in October is weight and colour. The jacket gets heavier, a tweed, a hopsack, a flannel; the palette darkens to navy, olive, chocolate and rust; and the shoe becomes a brogue or a suede boot rather than a loafer.
The shirt is the Horseshoe Equestrian print, an all-over motif of gold and blue horseshoes on a cream ground that nods to the paddock while staying entirely modern. Under a navy jacket it is the most confident thing in the Queen Anne Enclosure; under tweed it is a country look that has read the racecard. The Dressage Horses Check puts the equestrian motif across a classic check, which is the quieter option for the man who wants the reference without the volume, and the Racing Renaissance printed waistcoat is the layer for a man who wants to go the whole way, worn over a plain shirt under an open jacket.
- Fabric: Egyptian satin cotton with a soft lustre; long sleeve, buttoned cuff, a collar that sits cleanly buttoned to the top or takes a tie.
- Fit: cut tailored-slim; if you are between sizes, size up. A tailored shirt is what lets the jacket sit properly over it.
- Price range: 50 to 95 GBP for the pieces in this guide; the brand's shirts sit roughly between 60 and 100 GBP.
- Occasions: British Champions Day, autumn and jumps racing from Cheltenham's November meeting onwards, point-to-points, country weddings and any smart occasion in the shires.
- Featured pieces: Horseshoe Equestrian print shirt, Dressage Horses Check shirt, Racing Renaissance printed waistcoat.
The October race-day rules
Bring a coat you can carry: a navy or camel overcoat over the jacket for the walk from the car park, left on the chair for the parade ring. Wear a shoe with a sole, because the lawns are soft in October and the walk between enclosures is longer than it looks. Keep the trousers a shade darker than the jacket, and keep the socks plain; this is not the day for novelty hosiery.
Then, the golden rule of every race day: one statement. If the shirt is the print, the tie is plain silk in one colour lifted from it, the pocket square is plain, and the jacket is a solid or a quiet weave. A patterned shirt under a checked jacket with a patterned tie is three horses in one race, and the day already has enough of those. For the fuller enclosure logic, read the enclosure dress code, decoded.
Why the equestrian print is the British race-day shirt
Because nobody else makes it properly. Robert Graham's horses are American and rarely reach Britain; Ted Baker's playful prints are no longer the reliable source they were; the high street offers a plain shirt and a novelty tie. Claudio Lugli has drawn equestrian prints for more than twenty years, designed in London by founder Hoss Salimian, in Egyptian satin cotton at 60 to 100 GBP, with roughly 2,800 verified reviews at 4.8 out of 5 on Reviews.io, 4.7 Excellent on Trustpilot and 250 or more stockists worldwide. For the honest brand comparison, see the best printed shirt brands, compared.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to wear a tie to British Champions Day?
Only in the King Edward VII Enclosure, where a jacket, collared shirt and tie are required. In the Queen Anne Enclosure there is no formal dress code, so a shirt buttoned to the collar without a tie, under a jacket, is both acceptable and smart.
Can you wear a printed shirt to Ascot?
Yes. Outside Royal Ascot's Royal Enclosure, a printed shirt under a tailored jacket is well within the dress codes, and an equestrian print is the most appropriate print on a racecourse. Keep the jacket, trousers and tie plain so the shirt is the only pattern.
What should a man wear to the races in October?
A heavier jacket in tweed, flannel or navy wool over a dark-ground or equestrian print shirt, tailored trousers a shade darker than the jacket, brown brogues or suede boots, and an overcoat you can carry. Darker autumn colours, navy, olive, chocolate and rust, photograph best in October light.
The season's last word, worn properly. Shop the Horseshoe Equestrian print shirt and the occasionwear collection at Claudio Lugli before the gates open on 17 October.
