Royal Ascot horse race course info

Ascot Racecourse is located in the village of Ascot in the English county of Berkshire used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is closely associated with the British Royal Family and is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 31 annual Group 1 races. The site belongs to the Crown Estate. Ascot Racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne. Its first race, 'Her Majesty's Plate,' with a purse of 100 guineas, was held on August 11, 1711. Seven horses competed, each carrying a weight of 12 stones (76 kg).

This first race comprised three separate four-mile (6437 m) heats. In 1813, Parliament passed an act to ensure that the grounds would remain a public racecourse. In 1913, Parliament passed an act creating the Ascot Authority, an entity that manages the racecourse to this day. From its creation until 1945, the only racing that took place at Ascot was the Royal Meeting, a four-day event. Since that date, more fixtures have been introduced to the grounds, notably the Steeplechase and hurdles in 1965.

The centrepiece of Ascot’s year, Royal Ascot is one of the world’s most famous race meetings, steeped in history dating back to 1711. The royal family who arrive each day in a horse drawn carriage attend the meeting. It is a major event in the British social calendar, and press coverage of the attendees and what they are wearing often exceeds coverage of the actual racing. Attendees must wear a morning suit in the royal enclosure, and most people outside of this section choose to wear one any way. The royal enclosure is very exclusive, with people having to be invited to gain admittance, and thus very difficult for aspirant nouveaus.

Over 300,000 people make the annual visit to Berkshire during Royal Ascot week, making this is Europe’s best-attended race meeting. Many of the visitors know nothing about racing, and are there purely for the social side and to drink large quantities of champagne. This leads to a split amongst racing fans, some of whom are glad to see racing in the spotlight, and getting more attention, while others do not like the meeting despite the quality of racing. Although there are no enormous races at the Royal meeting there are many very good ones, and it is the best flat meeting in the world, with a total of sixteen Group races on offer, with at least one Group One event on each of the five days.

The Ascot Gold Cup is on Ladies' Day on the Thursday. There is typically over £3,000,000 in prize money on offer. Besides Royal Ascot, it also hosts the prestigious King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.


Course Details

Effect Of Draw:
No significant advantage.

Flat Course:
Right-handed triangle, galloping and stiff, with few undulations, Just over 1m6f round, with 2 1/2f run-in. Straight mile and round mile. All races up to 7f on straight course.

National Hunt Course:
Right-handed, galloping, with stiff fences. Circuit 1m5f.

5 day weather forecast for Royal Ascot Race Course

Contact Ascot horse racecourse

The Ascot Authority
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot
Berks
SL5 7JN

Tel: 01344 622211
Fax: 01344 624978

e-mail: enquiries@ascot.co.uk
Internet site: www.ascot.co.uk

How to get to Royal Ascot