Ascot Racecourse

For other uses, see Ascot Racecourse (disambiguation).

For the private housing development named Royal Ascot in Hong Kong, see Royal Ascot, Hong Kong.

Ascot Racecourse

Location	Ascot, Berkshire, England
Coordinates	51°24′58″N 0°40′37″W / 51.41611°N 0.67694°W / 51.41611; -0.67694
Owned by	Ascot Racecourse Ltd
Date opened	11 August 1711
Screened on	Sky Sports Racing
Course type	Flat National Hunt
Notable races	The Gold Cup
Official website

Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced /ˈæskət/, often incorrectly pronounced /ˈæskɒt/) is a British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 13 of Britain's 36 annual Group 1 horse races.^{[citation needed]}

The course, owned by Ascot Racecourse Ltd,^[1] enjoys close associations with the British Royal Family, being approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from Windsor Castle.^{[citation needed]}

Ascot currently stages 26 days of racing over the course of the year, comprising 18 flat meetings held between the months of May and October inclusive. It also stages important jump racing throughout the winter months. The Royal Meeting held each June, remains a major draw, its highlight being The Gold Cup. The most prestigious race is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run over the course in July.^{[citation needed]}

Contents

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  1 History
  


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  2 Royal Ascot
  


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  3 British Champions Day
  


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  4 Notable races
  


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  5 Shergar Cup
  


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  6 Royal Ascot Cricket Club and Ascot United
  


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  7 In popular culture
  


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  8 Gallery
  


• 
  9 References
  


• 
  10 External links
  

History

The Royal Enclosure on Cup Day, 1907

Ascot Racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne. The first race, "Her Majesty's Plate", with a purse of 100 guineas, was held on 11 August 1711. Seven horses competed. This first race comprised three separate four-mile (6437 m) heats. Handicap races started at Ascot, the first one being the Oatlands Handicap in 1791.^[2]

In 1813 Parliament passed an Act to ensure that the grounds would remain a public racecourse. A new grandstand was opened in 1839 at a cost of £10000.^[3] A further Act of Parliament of 1913 (Ascot Authority Act 1913 c.lxxxiv) establishing the Ascot Authority which entity 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 National Hunt racing in 1965. The National Hunt course was established using turf from Hurst Park Racecourse, which closed in 1962.^[4]

Ascot's pre-2006 grandstand

Ascot racecourse closed for a period of twenty months on 26 September 2004, for a £185 million redevelopment funded by Allied Irish Bank and designed by Populous and Buro Happold. As owner of the Ascot estate, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth reopened the racecourse on Tuesday 20 June 2006.

Upon re-opening the new grandstand attracted criticism for failing to provide sufficiently raised viewing for patrons to watch the racing, and devoting too much space to restaurants, bars and corporate hospitality facilities. At the end of 2006 a £10 million programme of further alterations was announced to improve the viewing from lower levels of the grandstand using an innovative steel composite product ("SPS" sandwich plate system) to reprofile the existing concrete terraces. However, the upper levels provide far less accommodation for the everyday racegoer than was present in the former stand.^[5]

In March 2009 it was confirmed that the main sponsors of Ascot, William Hill would be ceasing their sponsorship deal, citing that the decision by the BBC to reduce live race coverage as the main reason in its decision making process.^[6]

In July 2009 Ascot Racecourse also hosted the third round of the UAE President's Cup.^[7]

Royal Ascot

The Royal Ascot is the centrepiece of Ascot's year and dates back to 1711 when it was founded by Queen Anne. Every year Royal Ascot is attended by Elizabeth II and other members of the British Royal Family such as The Prince of Wales, arriving each day in a horse-drawn carriage with the Royal procession taking place at the start of each race day and the raising of the Queen's Royal Standard. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also attend, as well as the Earl and Countess of Wessex.^[8] It is a major event in the British social calendar, and press coverage of the attendees and their attire often exceeds coverage of the actual racing. There are three enclosures attended by guests on Royal Ascot week. In 2005, whilst Ascot was closed for redevelopment, the Royal meeting was held at York Racecourse

The Royal carriages depart after The Queen's arrival at the races

The Royal Enclosure is the most prestigious of the three enclosures, with recent visits from the Queen and Royal Family members. Access to the Royal Enclosure is restricted, with high security on the day. First-time applicants must apply to the Royal Enclosure Office and gain membership from someone who has attended the enclosure for at least four years. For existing badgeholders, an invitation is sent out by Her Majesty's Representative^[9] to request badges. The badgeholder's name is written onto the badge and can be used only by that person. The colours of the badges vary each day for one-day applicants. Those in the Royal Enclosure have the options of fine dining and hospitality, and a selection of bars. The dress code is strictly enforced. For women, only a day dress with a hat is acceptable, with rules applying to the length and style of the dress. In addition, women must not show bare midriffs or shoulders. For men, black or grey morning dress with top hat is required.

Over 300,000 people make the annual visit to Berkshire during Royal Ascot week, making this Europe’s best-attended race meeting. There are eighteen group races on offer, with at least one Group One event on each of the five days. The Gold Cup is on Ladies' Day on the Thursday.

In 2012, the Golden Jubilee Stakes was renamed the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.^[10]

In 2013, the Windsor Forest Stakes was renamed the Duke of Cambridge Stakes, with the Queen’s consent, recognising the new title given to Prince William.^[11]

In 2015, the newly-created Commonwealth Cup became the eighth Group One race at Royal Ascot, replacing the Buckingham Palace Stakes.^[12]

In 2016, total prize money across the five days of Royal Ascot was £6,580,000.^[13] This was £1,000,000 more than the prize money on offer at the meeting in 2015, representing an overall increase of 18%. Races with notable prize money increases for 2016 included the Prince of Wales's Stakes (£750,000 from £525,000), the Queen Anne Stakes (£600,000 from £375,000) and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (£600,000 from £525,000), while the other Group One races all had their prize money increased to £400,000. The Gold Cup in 2016 was run as "The Gold Cup in Honour of The Queen's 90th Birthday".

Month	DOW	Race Name	Grade	Distance	Age/Sex
June	Tuesday	Queen Anne Stakes	Group 1	1m	4yo +
June	Tuesday	Coventry Stakes	Group 2	6f	2yo only
June	Tuesday	King's Stand Stakes	Group 1	5f	3yo +
June	Tuesday	St James's Palace Stakes	Group 1	1m	3yo C only
June	Tuesday	Ascot Stakes	Handicap	2m 4f	4yo +
June	Tuesday	Wolferton Stakes	Listed	5f	2yo only
June	Wednesday	Jersey Stakes	Group 3	7f	3yo only
June	Wednesday	Queen Mary Stakes	Group 2	5f	2yo F only
June	Wednesday	Duke of Cambridge Stakes	Group 2	1m	4yo + FM
June	Wednesday	Prince of Wales's Stakes	Group 1	1m 2f	4yo +
June	Wednesday	Royal Hunt Cup	Handicap	1m	3yo +
June	Wednesday	Sandringham Stakes	Handicap	1m	3yo F only
June	Thursday	Norfolk Stakes	Group 2	5f	2yo only
June	Thursday	Hampton Court Stakes	Group 3	1m 2f	3yo only
June	Thursday	Ribblesdale Stakes	Group 2	1m 4f	3yo F only
June	Thursday	Gold Cup	Group 1	2m 4f	4yo +
June	Thursday	Britannia Stakes	Handicap	1m	3yo CG only
June	Thursday	King George V Stakes	Handicap	1m 4f	3yo only
June	Friday	Albany Stakes	Group 3	6f	2yo F only
June	Friday	King Edward VII Stakes	Group 2	1m 4f	3yo CG only
June	Friday	Commonwealth Cup	Group 1	6f	3yo only
June	Friday	Coronation Stakes	Group 1	1m	3yo F only
June	Friday	Duke of Edinburgh Stakes	Handicap	1m 4f	3yo +
June	Friday	Queen's Vase	Group 2	1m 6f	3yo only
June	Saturday	Chesham Stakes	Listed	7f	2yo only
June	Saturday	Windsor Castle Stakes	Handicap	1m 2f	4yo +
June	Saturday	Hardwicke Stakes	Group 2	1m 4f	4yo +
June	Saturday	Diamond Jubilee Stakes	Group 1	6f	4yo +
June	Saturday	Wokingham Stakes	Handicap	6f	3yo +
June	Saturday	Queen Alexandra Stakes	Conditions	2m 5f 159y	4yo +

British Champions Day

Main article: British Champions Day

Since 2011, Ascot has staged British Champions Day, the climax to the British Champions Series, an event designed to increase the sport's public profile and to rival Arc weekend and the Breeders' Cup in terms of attracting the best horses.^[14] The first event was staged on 15 October 2011 and was generally regarded as a success, though overshadowed by controversy regarding new regulations on the use of the whip. Winners on British Champions Day have included Frankel, who won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in 2011, and in the final race of his unbeaten career, the Champion Stakes in 2012.

Family day at Ascot Racecourse

Month	DOW	Race Name	Grade	Distance	Age/Sex
October	Saturday	British Champions Sprint Stakes	Group 1	6f	3yo +
October	Saturday	British Champions Long Distance Cup	Group 2	2m	3yo +
October	Saturday	British Champions Fillies' and Mares' Stakes	Group 1	1m 4f	3yo + fm
October	Saturday	Queen Elizabeth II Stakes	Group 1	1m	3yo +
October	Saturday	Champion Stakes	Group 1	1m 2f	3yo +

Notable races

Month	DOW	Race Name	Type	Grade	Distance	Age/Sex
January	Saturday	Holloway's Hurdle	Hurdle	Grade 2	2m 3f 110y	4yo +
January	Saturday	Clarence House Chase	Chase	Grade 1	2m 1f	5yo +
January	Saturday	Warfield Mares' Hurdle	Hurdle	Grade 2	3m	4yo + m
February	Saturday	Reynoldstown Novices' Chase	Chase	Grade 2	3m	5yo +
February	Saturday	Ascot Chase	Chase	Grade 1	2m 5f 110y	5yo +
February	Saturday	Weatherbys Chase	Chase	Handicap	3m	5yo +
April	Wednesday	Sagaro Stakes	Flat	Group 3	2m	4yo +
April	Wednesday	Pavilion Stakes	Flat	Group 3	6f	3yo only
April	Wednesday	Paradise Stakes	Flat	Listed	1m	4yo +
May	Saturday	Victoria Cup	Flat	Handicap	7f	4yo +
July	Saturday	Summer Mile Stakes	Flat	Group 2	1m	4yo +
July	Saturday	Princess Margaret Stakes	Flat	Group 3	6f	2yo only f
July	Saturday	King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes	Flat	Group 1	1m 4f	3yo +
July	Saturday	Pat Eddery Stakes	Flat	Listed	7f	2yo only
October	Friday	Noel Murless Stakes	Flat	Listed	1m 6f	3yo
October	Saturday	Bengough Stakes	Flat	Group 3	6f	3yo +
October	Saturday	Cumberland Lodge Stakes	Flat	Group 3	1m 4f	3yo +
October	Saturday	Cornwallis Stakes	Flat	Group 3	5f	2yo only
Oct / Nov	Saturday	Sodexo Gold Cup	Chase	Grade 3	3m	4yo +
November	Saturday	Ascot Hurdle	Hurdle	Grade 2	2m 3f 110y	4yo +
November	Saturday	Amlin 1965 Chase	Chase	Grade 2	2m 3f	4yo +
December	Friday	Championship Standard Open NH Flat Race	N H Flat	Listed	2m	4yo-6yo
December	Friday	Noel Novices' Chase	Chase	Grade 2	2m 3f	4yo +
December	Friday	Kennel Gate Novices' Hurdle	Hurdle	Grade 2	2m	4yo +
December	Saturday	Betfair Exchange Trophy Handicap Hurdle	Hurdle	Grade 3	2m	4yo +
December	Saturday	Ascot Silver Cup	Chase	Handicap	3m	4yo +
December	Saturday	Long Walk Hurdle	Hurdle	Grade 1	3m 1f	4yo +

Shergar Cup

The Shergar Cup is an annual horse racing event held at Ascot, usually during early August. The event is named in honour of Shergar, the horse that won the 1981 Epsom Derby, and was originally sponsored by Shergar's owner, the Aga Khan. The event is currently sponsored by Dubai Duty Free.

Royal Ascot Cricket Club and Ascot United

The racecourse is also home to Royal Ascot Cricket Club, which was founded in 1883. The club's ground is situated in the middle of the racecourse. Ascot United F.C. is located towards the eastern side of the site.^[15] A new clubhouse, stand and floodlighting have recently been erected.

In popular culture

The racecourse is the setting for a scene in the musical My Fair Lady and the subject for the song "Ascot Gavotte".

The racecourse was used as a filming location in the James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985), where Bond (played for the last time by Roger Moore) was beginning his mission to defeat the villainous Max Zorin (Christopher Walken), whose horse was racing there.

The James Bond production crew returned to Ascot Racecourse for GoldenEye (1995), where the entrance stood in for St. Petersburg Airport, and Skyfall (2012), where it stood in for Shanghai Pudong International Airport.^[16]

Gallery

The stand, completed in 2006 and designed by architects Populous and engineers Buro Happold and built by Laing O'Rourke

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  Main straight
  

  
  

  
  


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  Front entrance to the 2006 Ascot Stands
  

  
  

  
  


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  The redeveloped stand
  

  
  

  
  


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  The redeveloped stand from inside
  

  
  

  
  


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  Dress and conduct rules for racegoers at Ascot – see at full size.
  

  
  

  
  


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  AscotStand from north west
  

  
  

  
  

References

• 
  Horse racing portal
  

1. 
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2. 
   ^ Barrett, Norman, ed. (1995). The Daily Telegraph Chronicle of Horse Racing. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Publishing. p. 10.
   


3. 
   ^
   Whyte, James Christie (1840). History of the British turf, from the earliest period to the present day, Volume I. London: H. Colburn. pp. 199–200. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
   


4. 
   ^ Dennis, Steve (24 November 2017). "Desert Orchid thriller the highlight of 50 years of jump racing at Ascot". Racing Post.
   


5. 
   ^ www.ascot.co.uk
   


6. 
   ^ "Hills to end backing for jump racing at Ascot". Racing Post. 15 March 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
   


7. 
   ^ Ascot Racecourse hosts UAE President's cup in England Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, wam.org.ae, 26 July 2009, accessed 6 August 2009.
   


8. 
   ^ "Royal Family enjoy the sun on day one at Ascot". BBC. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
   


9. 
   ^ Mosley, Charles (ed.) (2003). Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 107th edn. London: Burke's Peerage & Gentry Ltd. p. 1332 (ERNE, E). ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
   


10. 
    ^ "Royal Ascot prepares for star names at Diamond Jubilee festival". BBC. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
    


11. 
    ^ "Prize money for Royal Ascot hits £5 million". Racing Post. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
    


12. 
    ^ "New Group One sprint at Royal Ascot to be named the Commonwealth Cup". ascot.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
    


13. 
    ^ "£1m boost to Royal Ascot prize fund". ascot.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
    


14. 
    ^ "2011 British Champions Series unveiled". Jockey Club. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
    


15. 
    ^ "Ascot United". Retrieved 23 September 2011.
    


16. 
    ^ Mathieson,, Amy. "Ascot racecourse to star in James Bond film". Horse and Hound. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
    

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ascot Racecourse.

• Main Ascot website


• Royal Ascot website


• BBC Royal Ascot interactive guide


• Course guide on GG.COM


• Royal Ascot Guide


• Royal Ascot Bloodline Interactive Tool

v t e Horse racing in Great Britain
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Named races	List of British flat horse races (British Classic Races) List of British National Hunt races
Regulation	British Horseracing Authority
Other bodies	British Racing School Horserace Betting Levy Board National Association of Racing Staff Racehorse Owners Association Tattersalls The National Stud Weatherbys
Course owners	Arena Racing Company (16) (Merger of Arena Leisure and Northern Racing by Reuben Brothers) Jockey Club Racecourses (14)
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