Ascot Racecourse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ascot Racecourse is a racecourse, 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.
[1]
History
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 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.
Contemporary Racing
According to publicity, Ascot today
stages twenty-five days of racing over the course of the year, comprising
sixteen
Flat meetings held in the months of May and October. The Royal
Meeting, held in June, remains a major draw, the highlight being the
Ascot Gold Cup. The best race is the
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes run over the course in
July.
Royal Ascot
High Fashion and Elegance at Royal
AscotThe 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 attend the meeting, arriving each day in a horse drawn carriage . 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 anyway. To be admitted to
the royal enclosure for the first time, one must be sponsored by someone who
has attended at least four times.[2]
Over 300,000 people make the annual visit to Berkshire during Royal Ascot
week, making this 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 among 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.
There are 16 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 over £3,000,000 of prize money on offer.
Notable Races
Royal Ascot:
Other Races:
Hospitality and dining at Ascot
There is a wide range of carefully tailored packages designed to
suit all tastes and budgets at Ascot. The Racecourse is synonymous with
quality and excellence in providing both unparalleled racing and the highest
quality catering services at any sporting venue in the world. The Parade
Ring Restaurant is the jewel in the crown of the new Grandstand and the
finest restaurant at any racecourse in the world. It overlooks the 8,000
capacity Parade Ring to the south, with only a short walk across the
galleria to reserved seating opposite the Winning Post.
Sodexho Prestigeare the official caterers at Ascot, and they are also
responsible for providing all hospitality packages
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