8 Interesting and Must Know Royal Ascot Facts

The Royal Ascot is Britain’s most elegant 5-day horse racing event held on the prestigious and illustrious Ascot Racecourse. Located six miles away from Windsor Castle, this racecourse hosts numerous guests and esteemed spectators to watch the Royal Ascot races and socialize with other dignitaries and special guests. This year, the Royal Ascot took place from the 15th to the 19th of June. In light of this, here are eight must-know Royal Ascot facts you should know.

royal ascot horse race illustration

The Royal Ascot is a part of the UK’s tradition

In 1711, Queen Anne established the Ascot Racecourse for horses to stretch their legs occasionally. Later that year, she inaugurated a horse race of four miles long for horses with impeccable stamina. From that year onwards, the races have taken place every year. However, the distance of the races has been reduced to about two miles in total.

The Queen oversees the entire event

Her Majesty’s Representative acts as a middle man throughout the planning process between the Ascot planning committee and the Queen. He is tasked with delivering information from the team to the Queen for her approval and relaying the Queen’s opinions, suggestions, and comments to the team accordingly.

There is a strict dress code

Although the event is somewhat a fashion parade, there is a strict dress code each attendee must follow. This has been so since the 1800s when fashion designer Beau Brummel started the trend of dressing up as a “man of elegance.” According to him, such style consisted of a tailored waisted black coat and white cravats with pantaloons, which are still worn today. Ladies also wear formal dresses with beautifully crafted fascinators. 

The car park is the exclusive spot on the grounds

The most challenging part of the grounds to secure a place is the parking lot. With several guests arriving, it can be challenging to get a spot for your vehicle. However, a large part of the hold up is due to the socialising in this part of the enclosure. Guests greet each other and take a few photos before proceeding to the grounds.

There is a lot of money involved

The Royal Ascot hosts about 300,000 racegoers every year. Naturally, this would mean preparing a considerable budget to ensure the event runs smoothly and guests are suitably cared for. In addition, the event also offers staggering cash prizes! Each year, horse racers compete to stand a chance of winning the £7.3 million grand prize. As this is an anticipated horse racing event, betting horse racing fans should follow the tips for this week to place profitable bets.

Sheep once kept the grounds

Yes, that’s right! Today, the grounds of Ascot Racecourse were kept in shape by experienced groundsmen. However, before the 1920s, about 400 sheep maintained the course by coming onto the course between each race meeting.  

Black Ascot, 1910

In 1910, the Royal Ascot was dubbed “Black Ascot” in honour of the late King Edward VII, who died just before the event’s opening. Guests were required to wear black.

Fascinating statistics 

Every year, about 400 helicopters and 1,000 limousines arrive at the Royal Meetings, host 300,000 guests, and have 976,258 videos across social media. The event serves about 240,000 tea cakes, 60,000 finger sandwiches, and 8,000 Cornish crabs.