Royal Ascot: Tuesday 17th June – Saturday 21st June 2008
Get Tips for Saturday at Royal Ascot by Clicking Here.
Royal Ascot is the flagship racing and social event of the British summer. As it approaches its tercentenary in 2011, Royal Ascot is opening with three Group One races – ensuring top quality international racing.
Coverage
In 2007, BBC Breakfast was based at Ascot attracting more than 4 million viewers during
every programme. Viewers in the UK will be able to see 24 of the 30 races live on the BBC and audiences in over 200 countries around the world will be able to view all the action via BBC Worldwide.
Pedigree
Over the year, although Ascot stages only approximately 2% of British racing fixtures, it plays host to no fewer than a third of Britain’s top flight (Group One) events. It also accounts for approximately 10% of industry attendance (circa 275,000 during Royal Ascot week alone).
The King’s Stand Stakes, Europe’s most international race and won in both 2006 and 2007 by Australian trained runners, has been promoted to the top flight this year and will form the middle leg of a Group One treble on Tuesday 17 th June, in between the Queen Anne Stakes and the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Royal Ascot has long been the benchmark for quality in horseracing and continues to improve. Four races have been promoted to Group One status since 1999, when
only three were staged during the week.
The 2007 renewal of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, arguably Royal Ascot’s premier event in the modern era, was rated the highest quality race run anywhere in the world last year. This accolade is defined by the official world rankings, which are compiled by senior handicappers from every continent.
In defeating subsequent King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Arc winner, Dylan
Thomas, and the Eclipse Stakes winner, Notnowcato, the Frenchtrained Manduro put up the best performance of any horse in the world at Royal Ascot last year.
Prize Money
Prize money at the 2008 Royal Meeting will total £4 million, an increase of £335,000 on 2007. All of the 30 races are now worth more than £60,000.
Both the Golden Jubilee Stakes and The Prince of Wales’s Stakes have benefited from a
£25,000 increase and will now be run for £375,000, making them the joint most valuable races of the week.
Britain’s Global Sprint Challenge races are the King’s Stand (at Ascot), the Golden Jubilee and the Darley July Cup. They now offer over £1,000,000 in combined prize money following the increases that Ascot and Newmarket announced late last year. Additionally, connections can start the US$1,000,000 challenge bonus chase after winning any of the three UK legs now – they would then need to be successful in two out of three of the subsequent Japanese, Australian and Hong Kong Group One legs.
Class and Snobbery
It’s worth pointing out an amusing article in The Independent by Charlie Methven, lamenting an alleged decline in dignity at this ancient and regal event:
Crowded, expensive, and with about as much class as a stretch limo. “It’s like the last days of the Roman Empire, with miniskirts instead of togas,” says one old hand. “The type of drunken behaviour that used to be particular to the cheap seats has spilled into smarter areas – and now anyone can get badges to the Royal Enclosure.”
Nevertheless, Ascot does play host to the Royal family at intervals during the week, and you can’t get much classer than Our Ma’am.
Tickets
Betting
There are a variety of free bets available online as well as lots of statistics and tips – at Systemlays.co.uk . For those who are unfamiliar with betting online, there a series of helpful guides.
How to get a ticket to the Royal Enclosure:
“Royal Enclosure badges are on sale to the existing Royal Enclosure list. The list for new applicants is also open and those wishing to apply should contact the Royal Enclosure office at Ascot to obtain a sponsorship form. Sponsorship from a member who has attended at least four times in the past is required.
Daily badges are priced at £82 (£56 junior 17 to 25 Tuesday to Friday & £26 Saturday) and a weekly badge is £310 (£190 junior).
Royal Enclosure Office: 0870 727 5678 or email royal.enclosure@ascot.co.uk
HAHA check out the wording of this dress code – like telling off naughty schoolgirls:
2008 Dress Code: For Ladies, only formal day dress with a hat or substantial fascinator will be acceptable. Off the shoulder, halter neck, spaghetti straps and dresses with a strap of less than one inch and / or mini skirts are considered unsuitable. Midriffs must be covered and trouser suits must be full length and of matching material and colour.
Gentlemen are required to wear either black or grey morning dress, including a waistcoat, with a top hat. Service dress is also acceptable and overseas visitors are welcome to wear the formal national dress of their country.
For ladies, this is a clarification of the wording in 2007 which read: Ladies are required to dress in a manner appropriate to a formal occasion. This means that a hat must be worn, strapless dresses are not permitted, midriffs must be covered and trouser suits must be of full length and of matching colour and material.
Charles Barnett, Chief Executive of Ascot, said:
“There was much press interest in the revised wording when it was communicated to the Royal Enclosure members in January. However, there is no fundamental change and it was simply a case of there being something of a lack of understanding of what formal daywear actually means in this day and age, leading to some outfits not quite complying.
“Royal Ascot is a place where new fashions are showcased and, therefore, things have to move on. However, the Royal Meeting remains a place for formal daywear. Last year we wrote into the conditions that midriffs must be covered in the Royal Enclosure, and in the 1990s we specified that trouser suits were acceptable for ladies, so the amendment to the dress code wording this year is far from without precedent.
“The new wording has been met with pretty much universal support from Royal Enclosure patrons they and we know how important it is to protect the integrity of the Royal Enclosure dress code and all the traditions that make Royal Ascot unique, going forward.â€