Famous Horse Races - Royal Ascot
Stakes:
Grade I For 3-year-old thoroughbreds and fillies;
1 and 3/16 mile
Race type: Thoroughbred - Flat
racing
Purse: NA
Location: York Racecourse - York,
Yorkshire
Inaugurated: 1711
Track: Grass, right-handed
Weight: Four-year-olds &
up
Website: Ascort
Racing
Royal Ascot is one of the most prestigious race
meetings with nearly 300 years of tradition and
is one of the highlights of Britain's social and
sporting calendar. Smart dress, fine food, champagne
and excellent racing are all combined in one social
event which lasts 4 days in June.
Royal Ascot
 In
1711 Queen Anne, whilst riding in the forests around
Windsor Castle, discovered some land near a village
called East Cote, now named Ascot, which seemed
to her ideal for racing horses. The area was acquired
for just £558 to become the Royal Racecourse
with the first horse race taking place that year
in the presence of the Queen and her Court.
After the death of Queen Anne, racing declined in
the reign of King George I who disregarded all sports,
but in 1920 racing began again at the Royal Racecourse
following a format of procession and races that
has hardly changed since.
Tradition is still continued today with the Queen,
now Queen Elizabeth II, leaving Windsor Castle every
afternoon in an open horse-drawn carriage, arriving
at Royal Ascot through the Golden Gates and leading
the Royal Procession along the entire length of
the racecourse. Only when the royal party are seated
can racing begin.
The race meeting starts with the Queen Anne Stakes
and commemorates the foundation of the course.
Royal Ascot is a social event as much as a race
meeting with a tradition of smart dress and fashion.
On Gold Cup Day, or Ladies Day as it is also known
the ladies attending often wear spectacular hats
and Ascot is famous for the hats and fashion on
show by race goers. Equally famous is the Gold Cup
race which is one of the longest flat races being
run over 2-and-half miles.
Ascot Racecourse is divided into three main enclosures
for the public: The Member's Enclosure, The Grandstand
which includes access to the paddock and the Silver
Ring - only the privileged have access to the Royal
Enclosure.
Ascot Racecourse, founded in 1711 is the World’s
Most Famous Racecourse
It was Queen Anne who first saw the potential of
a racecourse for Ascot, which in those days was
known at East Cote. Whilst out riding she came across
an area of open heath, not far from Windsor Castle,
that looked an ideal place for “horses to
gallop at full stretch.”
The first race meeting ever held at Ascot took place
on Saturday, August 11, 1711. Her Majesty’s
Plate, worth 100 guineas was the inaugural event,
open to any horse, mare or gelding over the age
of six. Each horse was required to carry a weight
of 12st and seven runners took part.
The contest bore little resemblance to racing seen
at Ascot today. The seven horses were all English
Hunters, quite different to the speedy thoroughbreds
that race on the flat now. The race consisted of
three separate heats, each four miles long, so the
winner would have been a horse with tremendous stamina.
Racing at Ascot became very popular and, in 1813
Parliament passed an Act of Enclosure. This act
ensured that Ascot Heath, although property of the
crown, would be kept and used as a racecourse for
the public in the future. Today the racecourse is
managed by the Ascot Authority, created by an Act
of Parliament passed in 1913. His Majesty’s
Representative became Chairman of the Authority
with the Clerk of the Course acting as secretary.
Today Ascot retains both these positions, but with
the additional appointment of a Chief Executive
and departmental directors under him.
The Royal Enclosure
The first reference of a Royal Stand at Ascot Racecourse
dates back to the 1790’s, when a temporary
stand was established during the Royal Meeting.
Entrance to this exclusive area was strictly by
invitation only from King George III himself. However,
according to our records it was not officially named
the Royal Enclosure until May 1845.
The Royal Enclosure was originally established to
provide the Royal Family and their selected guests
with privacy, security and exclusivity, allowing
them to enjoy their day in comfort and style. This
was deemed as essential following an incident that
occurred in June 1832 When William IV was hit by
a stone thrown by former Sailor, Dennis Collins.
Racing at Ascot today
Up until 1945 the only racing to take place at Ascot
was the four day Royal Meeting. Since then the number
of fixtures has steadily increased, with the introduction
of the steeple chase and hurdle course in 1965,
allowing National Hunt fixtures to be held during
the winter months.
Today Ascot stages 25 days of racing throughout
the year, 16 Flat meetings between the months of
May and October and 9 National Hunt meetings between
November and April. The Royal Meeting, held in June
is undoubtedly the most famous of these, where top
class racing is combined with tradition, pageantry
and style. Other highlights include Diamond Day,
featuring the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
Diamond Stakes, The Blue Square Shergar Cup, racing’s
only team competition and the BETDAQ Festival of
racing, featuring The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Ascot Racecourse welcomes some 500,000 racegoers
through the gates each year and continues to offer
unbeatable racing action. Queen Anne would surely
be very proud of her sporting legacy to the nation.
More than 300,000 people visit the racecourse during
Royal Ascot week, making this Europe's most popular
race meeting, and the event still continues to grow
each year.
Royal Ascot is an internationally renowned sporting
and social occasion, where tradition, pageantry
and style all meet in a glorious setting - against
the spectacular backdrop of top class thoroughbreds
and world famous jockeys competing for some of the
highest accolades in horseracing.
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