How the Royal Meeting Began
It was back in 1711 that Queen Anne gazed out upon the heathland at Ascot and decided that it would be the perfect spot to stage racing for the enjoyment and entertainment of her family and friends.
She could hardly have imagined that racing at Ascot would develop into Royal Ascot, a five-day meeting that is packed with top-class races, huge prize-money, and worldwide popularity, but that is exactly what has happened.
What & When is Royal Ascot
Five days of racing, which this year will take place on Tuesday, June 16th, to Saturday, June 20th.
The first race each day is due off at 2.30 pm, the last race at 6.10 pm. There are seven races each day.
Royal Ascot Prize Money
Total prize money on offer is £10,050,000
This is broken down as follows:
- Tuesday – £2,565,000
- Wednesday – £2,035,000
- Thursday – £1,540,000
- Friday – £2,005,000
- Saturday – £1,905,000
The Royal Procession
There are two £1,000,000 races – The Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Weds 4.20 pm) and the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Sat 4.20 pm).
In total, eight Group 1 races will be staged at the meeting. Among them is the Queen Anne Stakes, which, appropriately, will open the meeting at 2.30 pm on Tuesday. It carries prize money of £750,000.
The prelude to racing each day is the Royal Procession, which begins at 2 pm. This is a line of horse-drawn carriages carrying members of the Royal Family, plus invited dignitaries and guests, with the reigning monarch’s carriage pulled by the Windsor Greys, their riders clad in crimson. It is a colourful sight that begins at the Golden Gates at the beginning of the track’s Straight Course and ends in the racecourse’s parade ring.
The Procession dates back to 1825, when King George IV was the monarch.
Fashion at Royal Ascot
With eight Group 1 races, eight Group 2 contests, three Group 3s, and with no race being worth less than £110,000, Royal Ascot is unsurpassed in its quality and unequalled in its style, colour, and pageantry.
Entry to the Royal Enclosure during Royal Ascot is by invitation only, and specific dress codes apply. For example, for men, a morning dress of black, grey, or navy material must be worn, complete with waistcoat and necktie, a black or grey top hat, and black dress shoes (socks must cover the ankle).
For ladies, hats are mandatory, although a hatpiece or hatinator with a minimum base diameter of 4 inches (10cm) is acceptable.
This year’s racing action and fashion statements will begin on Tuesday, June 16th at 2.30 pm.
Royal Ascot Stats
Aidan O’Brien has had 96 winners at Royal Ascot, the most by a trainer in its history. He beat Sir Michael Stoute’s total of 82 in 2023. Aidan’s 83rd winner was Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Aidan’s tally includes a record nine wins in the Ascot Gold Cup, and he jointly holds the record (7) with Sir Henry Cecil for the most wins at a single Royal Ascot meeting, which he achieved in 2016. Sir Henry set the record in 1987.
Aidan has won the St James’s Palace Stakes nine times, the Prince of Wales’s Stakes five times, and the Queen Anne Stakes four times. He has been the leading trainer at the meeting on 13 occasions, including in eight of the last eleven years.
John and Thady Gosden landed the trainer’s title at Royal Ascot last year. They had five winners, as did Aidan, but they had more placed horses.
The great Lester Piggott holds the record for the highest number of Royal Ascot wins (116) by a jockey. The closest to this total among jockeys still riding is Ryan Moore with 92 winners at the Royal Meeting.
