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The Royal Ascot Meeting
The
Royal Ascot meeting
is the most prestigiousflat racing meetingin the UnitedKingdom. Held annually in June, the Royal Ascot meeting combines the best inthoroughbred horseracing with royal pageantry and fashion in an event that attractshundreds of thousands of visitors every year.The Royal Ascot meeting is
scheduled over five days
and
comprises 30 thoroughbredflat races
. Among these races are 6 of the 31 Group One flat races run in the UnitedKingdom every year.The undisputed highlight of the Royal Ascot meeting isthe
Ascot Gold Cup
, the feature race of the festival’sworld famous
Ladies’ Day
.
Royal Ascot History
The origins of the Royal Ascot meeting date back to 1711 when Queen Anne purchasedland on the Ascot Downs to
create racing facilities in close proximity
to
WindsorCastle
. The first race ever run on Ascot Downs was the ‘
Her Majesty’s Plate
’, a best of four race that paid out a prize of 100 Guineas.Racing at Ascot Downsgrew in popularity as the familiar form of the Royal Ascot meeting
gradually took shape, with the event first running into four days in the mid 18th century.During the 19th century several of the Royal Meeting’s most famous races were added tothe racing schedule, with the famous
first run in 1807.
Ascot Racecourse
The Royal Ascot meeting is hosted at theAscot Racecourse. For much of its history AscotRacecourse was dedicated to the Royal Meeting, hosting no other events. In 1996 AscotRacecourse underwent a massive refurbishment thatincluded the construction of a multi-million pound,futuristic grandstand.At present Ascot racecourse boasts some of the mostadvanced, modern facilities in internationalthoroughbred racing. The importance of the racecourseremains tied to the
, although anumber of prestigious flat andnational hunt meetingshave recently been added to theracecourse programme.
The Royal Ascot Races
The world famous Royal Ascot meeting comprises a selection of the finest thoroughbredflat races run in England each year. The most prestigious of these are the
six Group Onefeature races
run at the Royal Ascot meeting.Only 31 Group One races are run in the United Kingdom every year. These racesrepresent
the pinnacle of international thoroughbred racing
, offering massive prizefunds and attracting entries from the top thoroughbred studs and racing syndicates inthe world.
The St. James’s Palace Stakes
The St. James’s Palace Stakes is the first Group One race of the Royal Ascot meeting.The race was first run in 1834, and was named after the Royal family’s Tudor residence.TheSt. James’s Palace Stakesis run over a mile and features the talents of the world’stop thoroughbred 3 year old colts.
The Queen Anne Stakes
The Queen Anne Stakes is the second Group One race run on the first day of the RoyalAscot meeting.The Queen Anne Stakeswas originally known as the Trial Stakes, and wasrenamed in 1930 to celebrate the role of Queen Anne in founding racing on Ascot Downs.The race is run over a mile and is open to 4 year old and above thoroughbreds.
The Prince of Wales’s Stakes
The Prince of Wales’s Stakes is the feature race on the second day of the Royal Ascotmeeting. This Group One race was first run in 1862 to honour Prince Albert Edward, heirto the throne.The Prince of Wales’s Stakesis run over a distance of 1 mile 2 furlongsand is open to four year old and above thoroughbreds.
The Ascot Gold Cup
The Ascot Gold Cup is the feature race of Ladies’ Day at the Royal Ascot meeting, andthe most prestigious flat race outside of the Classics. TheAscot Gold Cupwas first run in1807, and is regarded as the third leg of the Stayer’s Triple Crown. The Ascot Gold Cup isrun over 2 miles 4 furlongs and is open to 4 year old and above thoroughbreds.
The Coronation Stakes
The Coronation Stakes is the feature race on the fourth day of the Royal Ascot meeting.The Coronation Stakes dates back to 1840 when the race was first run to celebrate thecoronation of Queen Victoria. Entry to theCoronation Stakesis restricted to 3 year oldthoroughbred fillies, and the race is run over a mile.
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