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p.04
Introduction
p.06
A history of Ascot
p.10
Iconic images
p.30
Anecdotes
p.36
Timeline
p.40
Yeats statue to be unveiled
p.42
The ‘Queen Anne’ Rose
p.44
Fashion at Royal Ascot
p.46
My Kingdom for a Horse
p.48
Safari Team - The Colts and Fillies Club horse
p.50
Ascot Tercentenary Ale
p.52
Betfair
p.54
Longines
p.56
Fixture list
p.58
Contacts
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Fuller’s have brewed a limited edition “Tercentenary
Ale” which will be available at the racecourse
throughout the year.
Ascot is commemorating 300 years of racing at the
world famous Berkshire venue throughout 2011.
In this historic tercentenary year, racegoers are
invited to enjoy Ascot’s milestone, where its
heritage and royal connections will be celebrated
and remembered at the racecourse.
Founded by Queen Anne in 1711, Ascot Racecourse
has been uniquely synonymous in the sporting and
social world with fashion and style coupled with
the greatest racing over three centuries.
Ascot’s Colts and Fillies Club for younger racegoers,
which has over 11,500 members, has adopted a
race horse, Safari Team, for the forthcoming Flat
Season. Safari Team, trained by Peter Winkworth,
will be racing in the club’s official silks which have
been designed by club member, Frances Flannagan,
aged 9.
For one year only, the racecourse has adopted
a special commemorative logo, which has been
replicated all over the site on flags and banners,
some of which include beautiful historic images.
“This year is a true milestone at Ascot as we mark
300 years of tremendous sport and colourful
history at the Royal Racecourse,” said Charles
Barnett, Chief Executive at Ascot.
A “time-line” has been produced on site and
in print, marking key events at Ascot since its
inauguration and also placing them into the wider
historical context.
“We are celebrating our tercentenary in many ways
through the year, perhaps most aptly by unveiling
a statue of Ascot’s greatest equine legend, Yeats, at
the Royal Meeting.
One of the most visually compelling additions to
the Royal Meeting in June, always the centrepiece
of the racecourse’s year and the focal point of the
tercentenary celebrations, will be the appearance of
the ‘Queen Anne’ Rose, honouring the racecourse’s
founder.
“The full tercentenary programme is included in
this guide, including information about the “Queen
Anne” Rose, commemorating our founder and the
first of twelve monarchs to have presided over the
racecourse.”
Royal Ascot will have an eighteenth Group race
this year as the Hampton Court Stakes has been
promoted to Group Three status and that race
has now been renamed the Tercentenary Stakes in
perpetuity.
The Italian screen legend, Sophia Loren, graces Royal Ascot, 1966
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There are few sporting venues that can match the rich heritage and history of Ascot Racecourse. Over
the past 300 years, Royal Ascot has established itself as a national institution and the centrepiece of the
British social calendar, as well as being the ultimate stage for the best racehorses in the world. The presence
and patronage of successive generations of royalty have defined so many of the unique traditions that
we associate with Ascot today. In fact, without royalty, there would be no Ascot Racecourse.
men of elegance should wear waisted black coats
and white cravats with pantaloons. Over the years,
this evolved into the wearing of morning suits
and equally formal clothes for ladies, who must
wear hats in the Royal Enclosure.
Gold Cup in 1807. In fact, Royal Ascot was the
only race meeting held at Ascot until 1939.
Although a Royal Stand dates back to the 1790s,
the Royal Enclosure as we know it today was born
in 1822 when King George IV commissioned a
two storey stand to be built with a surrounding
lawn. Access was by Royal invitation only. Three
years later in 1825, King George IV also began
the annual tradition of the Royal Procession. The
King, leading four other coaches with members
of the Royal party, drove up the centre of the
racecourse in front of the delighted crowds and
this has continued to the present day, remaining
one of the defining and iconic images of Royal
Ascot and of the summer season.
It was Queen Anne who first saw the potential
for a racecourse at Ascot three centuries ago and
since then the racecourse has been inextricably
linked with the British Royal Family. The Royal
Ascot meeting traditionally held in June remains
the only “Royal” race meeting in the country. It
is famous for its Royal Procession in state up the
course, as well as the Royal Enclosure and the
party atmosphere of Gold Cup day.
Since the very first race meeting three centuries
ago, the presence of royalty and their guests and
attendants meant that Ascot attracted the highest
ranking and most fashionable in society, who came
to see and be seen, as well as enjoy the sporting
pursuit of horseracing. Naturally the fashion to
attend Ascot filtered down through the social
strata, until by the turn of the century Ascot week
had become an established part of all fashionable
society’s summer season. The stylish “great and
good” of the time were guaranteed to spend at
least a week in the vicinity of the racecourse - not
just watching the racing, but also enjoying the
extravagant parties and hospitality laid on for their
pleasure. In fact this tradition continued into the
early twentieth century, with grand house parties,
breakfasts and balls the norm throughout Royal
Ascot week, until the First World War and the
relative austerity of subsequent decades saw the
time for such lavish excess come to an end.
The first race meeting ever held at Ascot took
place on Saturday 11th August 1711. The
inaugural event was Her Majesty’s Plate, worth
100 guineas and open to any horse over the age
of six. This race was almost unrecognisable as the
fast flat racing we see at modern Ascot. Each of
the seven runners had to carry a weight of 12st
and all were English Hunters, very different to
the sleek thoroughbreds that race today. The race
consisted of three separate four-mile heats, so the
winner would have been a horse with tremendous
stamina. Sadly, we have no record of the winner
of that first race. Today the Queen Anne Stakes is
still run in memory of Queen Anne’s foundation
of the course three centuries ago.
But much still remains at modern Royal Ascot
and at the racecourse that can be traced directly
back to early race meetings here. It was around
the time of the first running of the Gold Cup in
1807 that the roots of today’s traditional Royal
Enclosure dress code emerged. Beau Brummell,
a close friend of the Prince Regent, decreed that
The precise origin of the Royal Meeting is unclear
- it was an event that evolved over time, but we do
know that the first four day meeting took place in
1768. Royal Ascot week as we now know it really
started to take shape with the introduction of the
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The term seems to have been first used in 1823
when an anonymous poet described the Thursday
of the Royal meeting as “‘Ladies’ Day’...when the
women, like angels, look sweetly divine.”
In the nineteenth century it was common for a
small fortune to be spent annually by the most
fashionable and elegant society ladies on dresses
commissioned solely for Royal Ascot, with
their most beautiful and striking outfits saved
for parading on the day of the Gold Cup. It is,
however, the public not the racecourse who
call it “Ladies’ Day” and although almost every
racecourse markets a “Ladies’ Day,” the great
charm of the original is that it has evolved rather
than been created.
The Gold Cup is Ascot’s oldest surviving race
and today’s winning owners still receive a gold
trophy which becomes their property. Trophies to
be retained by the owner, are only awarded for
three races at the Royal Meeting, the other two
being the Queen’s Vase, inaugurated in 1838 to
commemorate Queen Victoria’s accession, and the
Royal Hunt Cup, first run in 1843. A member of
the Royal Family traditionally presents all three of
these prizes. For all the other 27 races, perpetual
trophies, many of which are antiques, are awarded
and returned to Ascot to be presented each year.
The legacy of King George IV, who adored racing
and particularly attending Ascot week, is still very
strong at Ascot today. One of the most obvious
legacies that he left to racing is the racing colours
that he used as Prince Regent, still worn today
by the jockeys riding Her Majesty The Queen’s
horses. The unmistakable combination of purple
body with gold braid, scarlet sleeves and black
velvet cap with gold fringe was also used by King
Edward VII.
The tradition of the Royal Ascot picnic is one
which can be traced back to the very earliest race
meetings at the course. In the eighteenth and early
nineteenth centuries there are accounts of wealthy
racegoers turning up with entire carriages devoted
to Champagne, wine and cigars and even portable
ice-houses to transport them in! In the early
The Gold Cup still remains the feature race of the
third day of Royal Ascot. It is colloquially known
as “Ladies’ Day” as, in the formative years, it was
the dominant day in terms of the racing, attracting
the largest crowds and, we can assume from the
adoption of the term “Ladies’ Day,” more ladies!
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nineteenth century refreshment tents started to be
provided by London’s gentlemen’s clubs and the
“smart” London regiments, where invited guests
could escape the crowds for cool Champagne and
buffets. Ascot catering was always extravagant for
those who could afford it and the tradition of the
one-hour lunch taken between the first and second
races continued up until the Second World War.
by the Monarch, by the Master of the Royal
Buckhounds from 1711 up until 1901, until Lord
Churchill was appointed as His Majesty’s first
Representative. Then in 1913, the Ascot Authority
was established by an Act of Parliament. His
Majesty’s Representative became Senior Trustee
(of three) of the Authority with the Clerk of the
Course acting as Secretary.
With the arrival of the motor-car at Ascot in 1912
came the more modern tradition of the picnic
in the car park. Even today you can catch sight
of butlers, candelabra and silver service at some
of the more lavish picnics, especially in Number
One and Two Car Parks. In 2006 a Country Life
survey found that Royal Ascot is the South of
England’s most popular picnic spot and the most
popular sporting occasion at which to picnic in
the country.
Today, as Ascot Authority (Holdings) Limited,
Ascot retains these positions, but with the additional
appointment of non-executive directors, a Chief
Executive and departmental directors. Until 2002
Ascot Racecourse was a private trust, with no
accounts published. In January of that year, as
part of the preparation for the redevelopment of
the racecourse, Ascot incorporated.
Ascot Racecourse closed for twenty months on 26
September 2004 for a £220 million redevelopment.
It was only fitting that The Queen reopened the
racecourse on Tuesday 20th June 2006, marking a
new era for this most majestic of places.
In fact it is quite common for berths in Number
One Car Park to be passed down informally from
generation to generation.
The way in which Ascot has been run remained
almost unchanged until very recent times, and in
itself demonstrated the fundamental link between
the racecourse and the monarchy. Administration
of Ascot has always been handled on behalf
of the Crown by a representative appointed
A seemingly never-ending line of racegoers snakes towards the racecourse from Ascot railway station in the 1930s
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The Royal Box in 1950
Yeats
Although The Royal Box is a private facility and entry to
the Royal Enclosure has always been by invitation only,
Royal Ascot provides an opportunity for spectators to watch
The Royal Family enjoying a day’s racing, one of their
best-loved pastimes.
The first Royal Procession was instituted by King
George IV in 1825 and now takes place on every
day of Royal Ascot. The opportunity for everyone
to see The Queen and other members of The
Royal Family arrive in state in their open carriages
and then relaxing with their guests in The Royal
Box is part of the unique atmosphere that makes
this meeting so special and memorable.
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Yeats earns his place in racing history with an
unprecedented fourth win in the Gold Cup.
Of all the great horses of the modern era, none has
become more synonymous with Royal Ascot than
the legendary Yeats who won four Gold Cups in a
row from 2006 to 2009. No horse had ever before
matched this epic achievement. This image shows
the magical moment when jockey Johnny Murtagh
and Yeats crossed the Ascot winning line and
galloped into horseracing history in June 2009.
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A reflection of British Society
And they’re off !
Today all kinds of people rub shoulders at Ascot – royalty,
aristocracy and stars of sport and entertainment from home
and abroad mingle with ordinary men and women from
different backgrounds.
The unmistakeable voice that
brought Ascot to life on the BBC.
But at times during Ascot’s 300 year history,
reflecting the standards of society at the time,
some public areas did not permit the mixing of
the sexes, or of different social classes.
In the 1850s and 1860s more trains were needed
for guests and staff travelling to the increasing
number of house parties hosted by the great and
good during Royal Ascot week. But soon the wellto-do started choosing to travel apart from the
crowds in their own carriages, which also acted
as private grandstands once they reached the
course.
When the new Iron Stand opened in 1859 it was
completely barred to women; divorced men could
enter but were barred from the Royal Enclosure.
The fashionable London clubs, such as Whites,
and the “smarter” regiments provided refreshment
tents, but entry was naturally by invitation only.
In this picture from the 1920s, the lucky few in
their private carriage are even further set apart
from those below them in the crowd by their very
different attire.
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Listening to Glendenning’s thrilling commentary
was second only to being at Ascot in person, with
the names of horses and jockeys coming faster and
faster as the race progressed towards a crescendo
as they passed the finishing post.
There are not only faces of Ascot but voices
too, and Raymond Glendenning’s was one of the
most evocative in horseracing. Glendenning in
fact provided the audio backdrop to many other
sports in his long career as a BBC radio sports
commentator, including every FA Cup Final
from 1946-1963, the football World Cup and the
Wimbledon Championships.
Glendenning was instantly recognisable at Ascot
in the 1940s and ‘50s, sporting the distinctive hornrimmed spectacles and magnificent handlebar
moustache that catch the eye in this image from
1949.
His distinctive broadcasting style of fast-paced
commentary delivered in public school, cut glass
tones would eventually fall out of favour as “BBC
English” in the 1960s and ‘70s, to be replaced with
more regional and less obviously upper or middle
class accents. But to hear his commentary today
is to be instantly transported to a golden era in
sports broadcasting, when racing fans would tune
into the wireless for an edge of the seat, dramatic
evocation of the excitement of the races.
His race calls began a tremendous partnership
between Ascot and the BBC. Glendenning has
been succeeded behind the microphone by
several legends of broadcasting, including of
course, the great Sir Peter O’Sullevan, referred to
affectionately as “The Voice”.
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La Loren leads the field
Taking the racing line
The Italian screen legend, Sophia Loren, graces
Royal Ascot, 1966.
A seemingly never-ending line of racegoers
snakes towards the racecourse from Ascot
railway station in the 1930s.
Ascot has always played host to famous
international figures. But whereas in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries they
were most likely to be foreign royalty and
international statesmen, in modern times
you are equally likely to see some of the
biggest names in Hollywood, dressed and
styled by some of the leading names in
couture fashion.
Since the 1830s when the railways opened
up the race meeting to the masses, the
journey by train to Ascot has been an
important and exciting start to the eager
racegoer’s day.
In 1873 the Times wrote “Never has the
South Western Railway brought down
such a heavy and fashionably filled train
as that which dispersed its contents over
an Ascot radius of some half dozen miles
or more, while the afternoon trains on
the Great Western have filled the Royal
Borough with bustle and excitement.”
In 1922 the Times correspondent wrote
that “Ascot is notoriously the best place
in England to see beautiful women in
beautiful clothes,” and as a stunning
Sophia Loren so elegantly demonstrated in
this exquisite and classic white ensemble,
things have remained unchanged ever
since.
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See and be seen
The popularity of Ascot soon meant that racegoers
demanded the best facilities that they could afford.
Three centuries ago, just as today, the most highly
sought after stands have not only been those
with the best view, but the places where the most
fashionable people in society have gone to be seen.
In 1961, the Queen Elizabeth II Grandstand
opened at a cost of £1 million, containing 280
private “dining rooms.” Ascot has genuine claims
to having pioneered private corporate hospitality
boxes within what was a ground-breaking structure
at the time.
For those not invited to the more exclusive stands
and boxes, the grandstands have provided the best
view of the action. The original 18th and early
19th century stands were temporary structures,
but through time their successors have become
larger and more sophisticated buildings including
all the comforts that racegoers demand.
The Grandstand that you see today (pictured) was
a more expensive building to construct at 220
times the cost of its predecessor.
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Nijinsky
Frankie Dettori’s “Magnificent Seven”
This picture shows two legends in one - Lester
Piggott and the great Nijinsky. The partnership
arrived at Ascot for the 1970 King George VI
and Queen Elizabeth Stakes undefeated having
won the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and Irish Derby.
Although long odds on for the King George and
regarded as something of a formality by everyone
else, the concentration on Lester’s face in this
image as he calmly settles Nijinsky in the parade
ring embodies the single-minded determination
of the greatest jockey the world has ever seen.
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Shortly before 6pm on Saturday 28th September
1996, true sporting history was made when Frankie
Dettori completed an unprecedented seven timer
from seven races on the previously unheralded
four-year-old, Fujiyama Crest. On a day that
bookmakers called their worst ever, Dettori won
everything from Europe’s championship mile
race, the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes,
to the closing event, the lowly Class C Gordon
Carter Handicap. The Sporting Life called it
Frankie’s “Magnificent Seven” and the jockey’s
excitement and disbelief is captured perfectly as
he is pictured entering the winners’ enclosure for
the seventh time in this image.
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Grundy and Bustino
Brown Jack
Arguments concerning who might have been the
best horse ever to race at Ascot will rage on but
to the question “what was the best race?” there
will only ever be one answer – Grundy (trained
by Peter Walwyn) and Bustino (Major Dick Hern)
in the 1975 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth
Stakes. It is hard to think of another race where
the runner up is afforded the same legend status
as the winner, but when people talk of the 1975
King George, they don’t say “Grundy’s King
George,” they say “Grundy and Bustino.”
The phrase victory in defeat has arguably never
been so aptly brought to life than in Bustino’s
gallant attempt under Joe Mercer to add the King
George to his victory in the previous year’s St
Leger. As the four year old came to lead turning
in off an electric pace set by his two pacemakers,
he was joined at the furlong pole by the Derby
winner, Grundy, under Pat Eddery, for one of the
toughest duels the turf has ever seen. This iconic
picture shows the finish of Ascot’s greatest ever
race.
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Brown Jack was a crowd favourite and a household
name as well as something of an unlikely Royal
Ascot hero, having begun his career as a hurdler,
albeit at the highest level with victory in the 1928
Champion Hurdle. On the recommendation of
top flat jockey Steve Donoghue, Brown Jack’s
trainer, the Hon. Aubrey Hastings, switched him
to the flat, a decision that saw the partnership
win the 1928 Ascot Stakes and subsequently six
consecutive renewals of the Queen Alexandra
Stakes between 1929 and 1934.
It is almost inconceivable that another horse will
ever win at seven Royal Meetings, a fact that
wouldn’t have been lost on his adoring public as
demonstrated in this image.
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Clerk of the Course, Sir Nicholas Beaumont,
in his office (1968-1994)
Getting The Royal Box ready
Here Ascot Racecourse grounds staff prepare
The Royal Box for its special visitors in 1930.
Here the Clerk of the Course sits surrounded by the Roll
of Honour of Ascot’s most celebrated and historic race –
The Gold Cup.
Inaugurated in 1807, past winners since that time
have included racing greats such as Gladiateur,
Persimmon, Pretty Polly, St Simon, Sagaro and
Yeats. From its inception, The Gold Cup has always
been the focal point of the Royal Meeting.
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Since the 18th century, when the temporary wood
and canvas booths and galleries started going up
two weeks before the meeting, the preparation for
Royal Ascot has always been extremely thorough.
This was a man whose bootlaces were removed at
the end of every working day, washed and ironed
(or polished if they were leather). Before meetings
he insisted that every last fallen leaf from the
large holly hedge which ran around the course be
picked up. One of his many notices to staff read
that smoking during working hours was strictly
forbidden: “Anyone disobeying this order will be
immediately discharged.”
The gardeners pictured here would have to have
been particularly meticulous in their work, as
overseeing them was the legendary Colonel Sir
Gordon Carter, Clerk of the Course from 19101941. He demanded outright perfection from his
workers and for his beloved Ascot.
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The Queen arriving on Surprise, 1961
The essence of style for 300 years
The British Royal Family have always had a special
affinity with Ascot Racecourse.
Ascot has seen its fair share of era-defining,
trend setting fashion moments.
The Queen often rode out at Ascot Racecourse
before she hung up her riding boots and Royal
Ascot is, and always has been, the only “Royal”
race meeting in Great Britain. It was Queen Anne
who first chose it as the ideal place to race horses
in 1711. It was the presence and patronage of
royalty, as well as some of the finest racing in the
country, that brought the most fashionable people
in society, as well as the huge crowds, to Ascot.
In the 1860s, poor Consuela, Duchess of
Marlborough found Ascot week “very tiring…
fortunes were yearly spent on dresses selected
as appropriate to a graduated scale of elegance
which reached its climax on Thursday; for fashion
decreed that one should reserve one’s most
sumptuous toilette for the Gold Cup day”.
time in a decade, “Black Ascot”. The Daily Mirror
described the striking monochrome scene: “The
occupants of the Royal Enclosure were in black…
save for where ladies wore white flowers or had
strings of pearls as the only ornament”.
It obviously made a lasting impression on a young
Cecil Beaton, who 54 years later would recreate
this panorama of black and white costumes to
showcase his leading lady and one of cinema and
fashion’s most enduring icons, Audrey Hepburn.
The “Ascot Gavotte” scene in My Fair Lady (1964)
remains to this day one of the most instantly
recognisable and frequently imitated tableaux in
the history of the movies.
And it wasn’t just the ladies who gave careful
consideration to their racing turnout. In 1922,
when upmarket department store Selfridges
opened its new menswear department, advertising
focussed on what the fashionable gentleman
should wear to Royal Ascot.
But possibly Ascot’s most famous fashion
moment took place at the movies. Following the
death of the country’s beloved King Edward VII
in May 1910, Royal Ascot became for the second
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Getting to the races was half the adventure
The Royal Enclosure
Travel to Ascot Racecourse was once a serious undertaking.
The highlight of the season for centuries.
Today Ascot, 30 miles from London, is an exhilarating
day trip to some of the world’s best racing. However
18th century racegoers stayed at Ascot for all four
days of the festival, mostly to stay in an enormous
encampment near the course. The rich travelled
by carriage, whilst the poorer classes walked. The
sheer number of spectators was incredible even to
contemporary observers. In sunny summers the
lines of carriages on the rails were on average five
and in some places ten carriages deep, stretching for
nearly a mile.
The first Royal Box was commissioned by
King George IV in 1822 from George Nash
- architect of Buckingham Palace. The small
enclosure erected around it would eventually
become the Royal Enclosure. Admission was
naturally, and strictly, limited to those with a
personal invitation from His Majesty.
The Royal Enclosure remains to this day one
of Ascot’s most famous icons and perfectly
encapsulates the glamour and excitement of
this unique racecourse.
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300 years of going racing
No more eating on the hoof
Scales
A colourful history of racing – with a few surprises.
There are picnics, and then there are Ascot picnics.
Today a day at Ascot Racecourse is a chance to watch
first class racing whilst also enjoying the unique
surroundings and atmosphere of the world’s most
famous racecourse - but visitors here have also seen
some colourful and surprising sights over the past
300 years. The additional entertainment laid on
for 18th century racegoers included cockfighting,
prizefighting, wrestling, gaming tents, jugglers, ballad
singers, ladies on stilts and freak shows.
Eating and drinking has for three centuries played
an important part in the enjoyment of a day at
Ascot. In 1912 the motor-car was first allowed into
the racecourse and shortly afterwards the tradition
of the picnic in the car park started. Number One
and Two Car Parks are still generally where the
most formal and elaborate picnics take place, with
berths in these coveted spots being passed down
from generation to generation in some families.
These weighing scales, restored to their original condition in
1991, now stand in the Queen Anne Building at Ascot.
They were miraculously saved from destruction
by the actions of Mr Emlyn Jones of Ascot, who
discovered them discarded on a waste dump.
However the weighing room has not always been as
fundamental to the running of Ascot Racecourse
as it is today. It took almost 80 years before
someone had the idea to adjust the weight carried
by the runners according to their form in certain
races (handicaps) to give them (on paper at least)
an equal chance of winning.
Until 1790, races had been run in up to four heats
on the same day, with the winner having to beat
the rest of the field at least twice. For the very first
handicap race, the Oatlands Stakes, the weights to
be carried were decided 6 months in advance, a quite
extraordinary time-lapse by modern standards.
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mansions in the vicinity, and so great is the demand
for houses for the race week, that the majority of
habitable properties are secured months in advance.
Ascot week is an elastic term and may include
anything between the four days racing and a week
previous or later. After the attractions of the races
themselves, garden fêtes and dinner parties claim
the long evenings...”.
after year and, although the races were supposed to
take place every 30 minutes, it was usual for the last
race to conclude at half past six or seven pm!
5. Winning owner goes home empty handed
1. 18th century health and safety regulations
2. Not just human traffic on the course...
Crowds were not separated from races by strong
posts and rails and by strict access rules as they are
today. We know that in the late 18th century there
were only rough posts and rails on the inside of the
track and nothing on the outside. Racegoers were
not forbidden from walking on the course, so in
hot summers it became more like a dust-track, and
when it rained, like a quagmire. The spectators even
crowded onto the track to get a better view of the
race, but Ascot at least didn’t share Newmarket’s
tradition for those on horseback to ride in with the
runners.
Today the Ascot track is seen as almost sacred turf
but incredibly, even as late as 1920, a large flock
of sheep - three to four hundred strong - was kept
on the course between meetings. One of their
number was sent to the butcher every Monday; the
meat was then hung in the subway leading under
the road to the Royal Enclosure and sold to Ascot
employees at a shilling a pound.
3. Everyone who was anyone had gone to Ascot
By the mid-18th century Ascot Racecourse had
become so fashionable with the aristocracy and
gentry that the more well-to-do areas of the capital
were nearly deserted of both people and horses
during Royal Ascot. A friend of the Duke of
Bedford wrote to him in 1760 that when he turned
up in London “everyone was at Ascot heath races
and I could find no soul to dine or sup with.”
In 1823 the Duke of York arrived so late that he
had to gallop up the course whilst the first race was
being run and only just arrived at the Royal Stand
before the winner passed the finish post. During
the 1827 Oatlands Stakes the crowd pushed onto
the entire width of the track after they thought
the whole field had passed, but one poor straggler
coming up behind couldn’t stop in time - the jockey
was thrown and seriously injured.
By the turn of the century the demand for coach
horses had become so high in the week of Royal
Ascot that it was almost impossible to find them
available for transport anywhere in London.
Carriages, coaches and wagons of all types, sizes
and states of repair were commissioned to transport
racegoers, and the towns and villages along the way
came out specially to watch the enormous motley
caravan pass through.
In 1887 crowd control seemed almost as chaotic.
About 300 yards from the finish in the Prince of
Wales’s Stakes, a mounted police inspector decided
to cross the course as the race went past, causing
one horse to throw its rider and three others to be
pulled up to one side.
4. More courses than horses as Ascot takes
a long lunch
Unique to Ascot, a bell is still rung as the horses
swing into the straight for races run on the round
Course, a tradition which has held the test of
time. Clearly in the past this was an effort to avoid
dangerous incidents, by warning people still on the
track.
At least as far back as the 19th century, racegoers
only watched one race before having to stop
for luncheon - a one hour affair including (for
those who could afford it) cold meats, hock and
Champagne. As a result, timekeeping lapsed year
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Today it is hard to imagine just how dangerous
the roads to and from Ascot could be in the 18th
and early 19th centuries - robberies and murders
were frequent along the route. Wealthy owners
and patrons were obvious high-profile targets and
it was always widely known who had just had a
successful meeting and would be travelling home
with the winning purse in their carriage.
7. A tented village takes shape
In the 21st century, the term “racecourse” tends
to refer not just to the track, but also to the many
buildings and stands surrounding it. In the late
18th century there were no permanent stands or
buildings at all, so large booths or tents were put
up - some with galleries. Most were erected by
private speculators who each donated 2 guineas
to the prize fund (or 1 guinea for drinking and
gambling tents). Workmen would start erecting
the tents a fortnight before, and by the time the
week of racing started there were about 200 canvas
booths, 30 or 40 of which had two storeys and a
viewing gallery.
Most of the criminals who stalked the Ascot roads
were far from our romantic image of the dandy
highwayman, although some did try to maintain
standards. In 1774 a young highwayman held up
a carriage on its way to Ascot and relieved two
gentlemen of £10. Gallantly, however, he handed
back a lady’s purse containing 20 shillings to its
owner. He was caught on the course the following
day and sent to jail – but it is unlikely that the judge
would have shown any leniency on account of his
moment of chivalry.
8. Violent side shows for the Ascot crowds
The only sport you would expect to see at Royal
Ascot in 2011 is racing, but boxing and wrestling
were popular additional attractions in the 18th
century, and surprisingly violent considering the
gentility of the Ascot crowds. On the last day of
the races in 1777, a boxing match was held on
the course, for the huge prize of 500 guineas. Mr
Woods the weaver beat Mr Selway, a sawyer, who
unfortunately lost an eye in what was a very bloody
and violent contest.
6. When is a week not a week?
In modern times, only a small minority of those
closely involved in racing are able to devote
more than one day to Royal Ascot week. In the
Georgian era, however, Ascot truly became
a social extravaganza and Ascot “week” was
extended to before and after the meeting. At the
very least, people stayed for all four days of the
festival and more and larger entertainments were
laid on for them. “Public” breakfasts (only really
open to the nobility and gentry) were organised
in the surrounding towns such as Sunninghill and
Windsor, and there were balls laid on every night
of Royal Ascot.
And in 1820 a fight was held after the races in front
of the betting stand, lasting a gruelling 47 minutes
and 30 rounds. A Mr Gardner was the winner,
but apparently “both combatants were severely
punished.”
This tradition lasted well into the 20th century, with
Royal Ascot still the zenith of the social season.
The authors of a history of Ascot written in 1902
report that “Ascot, Bracknell and Sunninghill still
keep carnival during Ascot week.” The book
gives us a flavour of the enviable life of leisure
enjoyed by the Edwardian privileged classes with
this advice: “To thoroughly enjoy Ascot, there is
no better way than to rent one of the numerous
9. Queen Victoria has a smashing day at
the races
It is almost impossible to imagine Royal Ascot
without The Queen. But for almost 40 years after
the death of Prince Albert, the mourning Queen
Victoria could not bring herself to attend the
races she had once so passionately enjoyed, out
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of deference to the fact that her beloved Albert
had not enjoyed racing himself. In the last few
years of her reign she became so opposed even
to The Prince of Wales attending that she banned
him from staying at Windsor Castle during Ascot
week.
She maintained her elegant and highly fashionable
appearance throughout, and lived in extravagant
style. However, obviously learning by her own
early mistakes, she encouraged her many female
clients to practice moderation and only bet small
amounts.
Writing as Princess Victoria in 1834 her diary
reveals that she was “very much amused indeed”
by her first visit to the races. In 1854 she was so
eager to follow the finishing stages of one race that
she tried to lean out of the window of the box,
which unfortunately someone had just closed. The
glass shattered, but The Queen was unscathed and
joined in the “merriment” of the incident with the
rest of the occupants of The Royal Box.
12. Early Ascot racehorses went the extra
mile...or twelve
The horses which originally raced at Ascot in
the early 18th century were hunters, almost
unrecognisable from the thoroughbreds we know
today. They were built for strength and endurance
rather than speed, which was just as well, as in
those days they carried riders of about twelve
stone. Even more incredible when compared to
the racing of today are the distances involved.
Most races were run over four miles – but not just
once. Instead, each race consisted of usually three
or more four-mile heats, meaning a horse would
routinely race for twelve miles or more during the
course of the day.
10. Does anyone know who won that race?
Today every jockey has to ride in the colours of his
or her horse’s owner, but up until 1783 riders wore
whatever they liked, which naturally led to some
confusion. That year a rule was made that each
jockey had to declare the colours he would ride in
so it could be inserted in the printed papers.
13. From Russia With Love
...during peacetime at least
It would still have been hard for spectators to tell
one horse from another as it was only in 1897 that
number cloths were seen for the first time at Ascot
- in fact probably the first time they had been used
anywhere.
In the 21st century, a sporting event like Royal
Ascot has little to do with international politics, but
in centuries past it was a forum in which kings and
queens could put their allegiances on public display.
In 1844 the Royal Procession included Britain’s
staunch ally Tsar Nicholas I, who enjoyed his day’s
racing so much that he insisted on providing the
prize each year - the Emperor’s Plate, which would
replace the old Gold Cup.
11. An Ascot lady beats the bookies at their
own game
After the First World War, betting enjoyed a huge
surge in popularity. One of Ascot’s most unusual
and successful bookmakers was a woman. Mrs
Helen Vernet was an heiress who had squandered
her entire fortune on gambling once she was old
enough to inherit, but had then made the wise
decision that it was better to take bets than to
make them. So she started taking bets, many from
women, on her own account in the Members’
Enclosure and at the Parade Ring - until the
bookmakers objected. So successful was she that
Ladbrokes suggested she represent them officially.
She soon conducted all of their business on the
rails and made enough to buy herself a partnership
in the company.
However the Crimean War broke out ten years
later, pitching Britain against Russia. So although
the 1854 race card listed the prize for the Gold Cup
as “a piece of plate value 500 sovereigns, the gift
of His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias”,
no-one was particularly surprised when the trophy
did not appear. It was quietly replaced with an old
Gold Cup and it goes without saying that the Tsar
did not receive an invitation to The Royal Box that
year.
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allegiance or just fair play towards Mr Oxley,
demanded only his card or nothing, and he was
eventually reinstated by overwhelming popular
demand.
14. Female racehorse owners – whatever next?
Even at the end of the 19th century, it was still
accepted convention that women did not own
horses in their own right. Some independentthinking women had started to run horses
under their own names, but Agnes, Duchess of
Montrose, for example, entered her horses under
the pseudonym “Mr Manton.” “Mr Jersey” was
well-known to be the pseudonym of Lillie Langtry,
celebrated actress and mistress of King Edward
VII when he was still Prince of Wales.
17. Ascot trains take the strain
The scale of the rail logistics involved in
transporting passengers to Ascot in the second half
of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a week
of unparalleled demand on the railway companies.
Special trains would run one after another, one
being made ready as another was filled up and
departed. Over the four days of Royal Ascot, an
incredible 150 additional special trains were laid
on from Waterloo and Paddington. The railway
companies didn’t even own enough rolling stock
to accommodate the Ascot passengers, so had to
borrow entire trains and extra carriages from three
other railway companies.
15. A tiny figure in Ascot history
The jockeys we see riding at Ascot today are highly
trained and professional athletes, but in the 19th
century there were no real rules regulating who
could ride at Ascot (as long as they were male,
of course). Even so, the spectators of 1840 were
rather taken aback to see that one of the starters
for the Wokingham Stakes was ridden by an 11
year old boy, weighing only a little over two stone.
He admitted this was the first time he had ridden
in a race, although he had taken horses out on the
gallops many times...
18. Racecards keep the spectator in the dark
The 21st century race enthusiast would be lost
without their racecard and its detailed information
on form, so we should spare a thought for the race
audiences of days gone by. It wasn’t until 1888 that
it was printed in the booklet format that we would
recognise today. Until then the general racegoer
had to make do with a large and awkward single
card, which contained sparse and incomplete
information. The colours were stated as far as
possible, but you could not rely on what was
printed as there were no penalties for not declaring,
or even changing your colours before a race.
16. A scandal on the cards
It is hard to imagine today that the major political
parties would have any use for the Royal Ascot
racecard as a means of propaganda, but in the
politics-obsessed world of the 1840s, that is exactly
what they did.
In 1843, the Tory-supporting Master of the
Buckhounds transferred the printing of the
racecards from Mr Oxley, a Whig newspaper
owner, to a printer employed by the Tory party.
The affair caused such excitement and scandal that
letters and leading articles appeared in all the main
newspapers of the day. This meant that Ascot
racegoers now had the confusing choice of two
different racecards – the official and the unofficial
versions.
There were about a dozen larger format cards
printed for the occupants of the Royal Stand,
which at least had spaces left for the colours and
any other information to be written in by hand by
the Secretary after the jockeys had been weighed.
The following year, to dissuade them from buying
Oxley’s “unofficial” version, the Master of the
Buckhounds had leaflets distributed around the
course denouncing the Oxley card, and the Great
Western Railway refused to sell them at their
stations. But the public, either showing political
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complained that the railways had led to meetings
where “attendance was immense, but…comprised
perhaps an unusual number of that class of
persons who are popularly denominated ‘roughs’.”
The Sporting Life was even more unashamedly
snobbish, commenting that “the hilarious cockney
is as much out of his element at Aristocratic Ascot
as a duck on a turnpike lane.”
19. Not another two-horse race…
Most racegoers of modern times would feel slightly
confused by the type of races on show in the late
18th century, which were very different from those
run today, not just in their length, but in terms of
who took part. Even by the meeting of 1794, when
Ascot racing had been established for the best part
of a century, there were only six races with three or
more runners. There were three two-horse races,
and in addition ten “private matches” between
individuals on their own terms.
22. Who brought that horse in here?
Of course people still go to Royal Ascot today in
their finery to see and be seen, but fashion was
such a fundamental part of attending the Royal
Meeting in the 19th and early 20th centuries that
the “promenade” was almost an official part of the
day. In 1823 The Times reported that “fashionable
persons of both sexes promenaded up and down
the course between the races.” But the state of the
course was suffering as a result and so the fashion
parade was moved to the Paddock.
20. A game gets out of hand
Most modern racegoers are content with placing
a bet, large or small, on the thrilling outcomes
of the day’s racing. But our late 18th century
counterparts were so obsessed with gambling
that as well as boxing and cock-fighting and other
entertainments, spectators could wager on cards,
thimbles, and especially on the most popular game
of the time – EO, a forerunner of roulette. It was
so popular that ten marquees existed in the 1790s
solely for EO gaming, and the results were rarely
in the racegoers’ favour, which of course led to
fights.
For some, the parading of fashion remained
infinitely more important than that of the horses.
In 1912 their two worlds collided quite literally in
the Paddock when a well-known actress’s bright
red parasol caused a young racehorse to rear up.
The actress leapt back, stabbing someone with
the tip of her parasol. She exclaimed with genuine
indignance and not a trace of irony, “It’s perfectly
scandalous that horses should be allowed in here!”
One of the worst was in 1799 when a scuffle
over alleged fixing turned into a fully-fledged riot,
pitching owners of other betting booths against
aggrieved customers. It became so serious that the
Light Brigade had to be summoned from Windsor
to quell the spreading mayhem and there were many
arrests, some leading to lengthy prison terms.
23. Churchill takes the battle to the Royal
Enclosure
We are used to Ascot, like all racecourses throughout
Britain, being open and welcoming to all who are
interested in the sport. But the newspapers and
journals of the 19th century felt no hesitation in
registering their horror at the sight of the masses
descending on genteel Ascot by way of the newly
extended railway line. Until then Ascot really had
been regarded as the preserve of the nobility and
gentry.
King Edward VII (1901-1910) insisted that the
Royal Enclosure be even more exclusive than under
Queen Victoria and ruled that only those who had
been presented at Court could be eligible for entry.
At that time Viscount Churchill was the King’s
Representative at Ascot and had an extraordinary
knack of remembering to whom he had sent a
voucher. He personally selected those he deemed
suitable for entry and was said to have three piles
on his desk, labelled “certainly”, “perhaps” and
“certainly not”.
Pierce Egan, the leading reporter of sporting
events of the early and mid-19th century, wrote that
before the railways, Ascot had been protected from
“the pollution of sheer cockneyism”. The Times
Other rules for entry were quite incredible to our
modern ears, such as that “no actor or actress
should be eligible,” although The King himself
bent this rule at his own discretion. Even more
21. Cockneys need not apply
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27. How to make an entrance at Royal Ascot
extraordinary was that divorcees, male or female,
were barred from entry to the enclosure until
1955.
In the early 1920s, Lord Lonsdale drove every day
from his rented house in Ascot, up the High Street
to the racecourse entrance with outriders, drivers
and footmen, all wearing his distinctive yellow
livery. The processions were so grand that it was
thought by some that he was trying to rival the
Royal Procession.
24. War horses take time to recover
Ascot suspended racing during the Second World
War, but most people are not aware that the war
had longer term repercussions on the sport.
Although horse racing enjoyed a post war boom,
it was certainly not boom-time for the British
racehorse owner.
28. Carriage clubs make a stylish entrance
A familiar sight at Royal Ascot is the arrival of
horsedrawn carriages along the High Street, to the
sound of hunting horns. These carriages belong
to members of the country’s carriage clubs, who
stable their horses during racing whilst they enjoy
their club facilities on course prior to departure.
In 1946, the first year that racing resumed at Ascot,
French horses took the first three places in The
Gold Cup and, in fact, won much of the racing
that year due largely to having been better fed in
occupied France than in rationed Britain.
29. Singing round the bandstand
25. Gentlemen put to work in the Royal
Enclosure
Ascot’s much loved tradition of “singing round
the bandstand” or “community / traditional
singing” began in the 1970s under the stewardship
of Lady Beaumont, wife of the then Clerk of the
Course, Captain Sir Nicholas Beaumont. The now
unmissable sing song of British favourites and flag
waving after racing was an immediate success with
thousands of racegoers staying on and making it an
integral part of their day. Now, traditional singing
is listed as part of the day’s formal proceedings in
the racecard and song books and flags are handed
round.
These days there is only one real regulation for
women in the Royal Enclosure, that they wear
formal day dress with a hat. But as late as the 1920s
they also had to stick to a number of “unwritten
rules” that if broken might bring disrepute on
themselves or their husbands or chaperones. One
was that women should not have direct contact with
bookmakers, and so their poor male companions
were constantly being interrupted to be sent on
errands between races to place bets on their behalf.
Another archaic rule, enforced by the notoriously
fastidious Clerk of the Course Colonel Sir Gordon
Carter in 1922, was that women could not smoke
in the Royal Enclosure.
26. Staff bowled over by dress code
The wearing of Bowler Hats by the Ascot
Stewards is a tradition that is proudly protected
and maintained by the longer serving stewards.
However the dress instruction was met with near
mutiny when it was introduced in the late 1950s
in an attempt to address slipping standards. The
trustees had to give pay rises at the time to stop the
staff striking over the issue. When the racecourse
closed for redevelopment in 2004, the management
had to assure staff that there were no plans to
alter the much loved “uniform” when everyone
returned in 2006.
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1711 Queen Anne decides that Ascot Heath is the
ideal place to race horses. The first race is held on
August 11th in the presence of The Queen and her
court.
1714 Queen Anne dies and the Georgian era begins
with the accession of King George I. Ascot races
cancelled.
1740 An Act of Parliament is passed to ‘restrain
and prevent the excessive increase of Horse
Races’ because horse racing for ‘small prizes or
sums of money had contributed very much to the
encouragement of idleness, to the impoverishment
of many of the meaner sort of the subjects of this
kingdom and the breed of strong and useful horses
hath been much prejudiced thereby.’ No racing at
Ascot until 1744.
1744 The official notice of racing mentions the
Yeoman Prickers who were employed by the
Master of the Buckhounds. Their association with
Ascot is remembered today in the livery of the
“greencoats” or Ascot Gatemen.
1749 The first four day meeting is staged in the first
week of August bringing it in line with the other
principal racecourses of the time, Newmarket,
Epsom and Doncaster. This pattern of days
continued for the Royal Meeting at Ascot with the
Saturday being a heath meeting until the addition
of the extra Royal Day in 2002 to mark the Golden
Jubilee of The Queen.
1760 Accession of King George III. By this time
Ascot is attracting some of the best horses, and the
most fashionable society in the country. ‘A large
assemblage of the nobility and gentry attended this
meeting’.
1773 Captain James Cook becomes the first
European explorer to cross the Artic Circle.
1783 Rule passed that each jockey must declare the
colours he intends to race in.
1790s Beau Brummell, a close friend of the Prince
Regent, decreed that the height of elegance for
gentlemen was waisted black coats and white
cravats with pantaloons. Over the years, this has
evolved into the morning suit we know today.
1791 The first handicap race run at Ascot – the
Oatland Stakes. The weights of the runners are
adjusted relative to their form.
1793 Ascot’s first permanent stand - The Slingsby
Stand - is built, accommodating 1650 people. It
remains in use until 1838.
1797 The first top hat is worn in public in London.
The large crowd of onlookers who gathered to see
this phenomenon landed the wearer a £50 fine for
causing a public nuisance.
1799 The Light Brigade is summoned to Ascot
Racecourse from Windsor Castle when an
argument over a bet develops into a fully-fledged
riot.
1807 The running of the first Gold Cup (as we
would recognise it today), making it the oldest of
races that forms today’s Royal Meeting. Master
Jackey beats Hawk by half a length.
A pavilion is created that becomes the first Royal
Stand at Ascot. Entry is subject to the King’s
invitation.
1811 – 1820 Regency Period: Prince of Wales
(future King George IV) assumes control during
his father’s illness.
1813 An Act of Enclosure places Ascot Heath and
Windsor Forest into the ownership of the Crown.
1815 Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of
Waterloo.
1820 Accession of King George IV.
1822 Royal Stand is built, designed by John Nash –
architect of Buckingham Palace. It consists of two
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storeys with fluted pilasters to look like a Grecian
portico. There are eight or nine stands to either
side.
1825 King George IV strengthens the link between
Ascot and royalty with the first Royal Procession.
1826 Ice cream sold at Ascot for the first time.
1829 Oxford University wins the first boat race.
1830 Accession of King William IV.
1834 Queen Victoria’s first attendance at Ascot
(as Princess Victoria). Her diary states ‘I was very
much amused indeed at the races’.
1837 King William IV dies. Accession of his 18
year old niece as Queen Victoria.
1839 Ascot’s first Grandstand opens after a year’s
construction. It holds 1200 people on the ground
floor and 1800 on the roof.
First Henley Royal Regatta held.
1845 The area in front of the Royal Stand is
enclosed, creating the second most exclusive area
after the Royal Stand itself. It was noted that this
area “will be a great addition to the comfort of
Her Majesty’s Stand by keeping a distance of 16
or 17 yards from Dancers and Balad [sic] Singers
and other musicians with which a Race Course
is infested and will afford an opportunity for the
Prince or any of Her Majesty’s Guests to inspect
any of the horses without being annoyed by the
pushing of a Mob, or protected by Police Officers.”
Thus was born the Royal Enclosure.
1848 Waterloo Station opens in London.
1850 The Flying Dutchman becomes the first horse
to win the Derby and the Gold Cup.
1855 The Daily Telegraph is published for the first
time.
1856 The railway comes to Ascot with the opening
of the Staines to Wokingham line, causing
commentators to lament the loss of “Aristocratic
Ascot”. Extra trains are soon being laid on during
Royal Ascot to deal with the huge numbers of
racegoers.
1861 Prince Albert dies of typhoid fever on
December 14th; Queen Victoria enters mourning
and does not return to Ascot for the remainder of
her reign.
1869 The Prince of Wales insists to Queen Victoria
that the Royal Family retain a presence at the Royal
Meeting, writing to her that “It is an opportunity
for the Royal family to show themselves in public
which I am sure you much desire and after all,
racing with all its faults still remains, I may say, a
National Institution of the Country”.
1882 The Ashes is played for the first time,
England lose.
1888 The Racecard appears for the first time in
booklet form. Formerly it was printed on a large
and cumbersome piece of card.
1897 Number cloths used for the first time at
Ascot – believed to be the first time they are used
anywhere.
1901 Accession of King Edward VII.
Post of His Majesty’s Representative at Ascot
created replacing Master of the Buckhounds, with
the first incumbent being Viscount Churchill.
All three Royal Enclosure stands are demolished
and two new stands erected, with a third built in
1902. This last stand contains the first lifts to be
installed on a British racecourse.
1908 The “Five Shilling Stand” is built, later named
the Silver Ring Stand.
The Olympics are held in London.
1910 Accession of King George V. Royal Ascot is
Black Ascot, in mourning for King Edward VII,
who had died on May 6th.
1912 Racegoers begin to arrive by car and cars are
allowed to park on the Heath.
1913 Ascot Authority Act makes Her Majesty’s
Representative Senior Steward of the new
Authority.
1914 On August 4th Britain declares war on
Germany.
1919 King George V insists that no media
photography be allowed in the Royal Enclosure as
he had a “rooted objection to being snap-shotted”.
The following year a formal ban was introduced
which still stands today.
1926 The buildings in the Royal Enclosure are
extended and the new Iron Stand built.
Ascot installs the world’s first watering system that
can serve the entire track, able to dispense around
two million gallons of water onto the turf through
5,000 nozzles.
1927 First live sports match is broadcast on the
BBC - the rugby union international England v
Wales.
1934 The immensely popular Brown Jack wins the
Queen Alexandra Stakes, his final race. He won at
seven Royal Meetings in a row and on twenty-five
out of his sixty-five starts.
37
1936 Accession and abdication of King Edward
VIII, accession of King George VI.
1940 Racing at Ascot is cancelled after the outbreak
of war and the course is commandeered by the
Army. The Grandstand becomes a barracks for the
Royal Artillery.
1946 The Royal Meeting returns to Ascot and a
country still in recovery. The Royal Enclosure
dress code temporarily replaces morning suits with
service dress or lounge suits. Whilst the wearing of
lounge suits was quickly rescinded, the wearing of
service dress remains permitted to this day.
1950 The pilot episode of the Archers is broadcast.
1951 The Ascot October meeting includes the first
Ascot races to be televised live in the UK (BBC).
1952 Accession of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II.
1955 Rules of divorce are relaxed and divorcees can
now enter the Royal Enclosure.
1959 The gatemen at Royal Ascot wear bowler-hats
for the first time.
1961 The Queen Elizabeth II Stand opens at a cost
of around £1 million, holding 13,000 people.
1963-4 The Members’ Stand opens.
In 1964 the Royal Enclosure doubles in size to a
capacity of 7,500 people; opening the floodgates
to the new “Swinging Sixties” rock, fashion
and photography aristocracy and also widening
the margin for error in dress, leading racing
commentator Peter O’Sullevan to observe in 1967,
“the mini skirt fashion seems to be exploited by
those least suited to exposure”.
1964 The film “My Fair Lady” is released. Costume
designer Cecil Beaton is heavily influenced by the
mourning dresses with simple white accessories
worn at “Black Ascot” in 1910.
1965 Jump racing comes to Ascot on the closure of
the local Hurst Park. It is deemed a huge success
but the Sunday Times finds a “Flat racing swell”
who believe that having jump racing at Ascot
was “like going to the Ritz and ordering fish and
chips”.
1966 England win the World Cup
1967 Her Majesty’s Representative, The Duke of
Norfolk, bans ladies from wearing trouser suits in
the Royal Enclosure.
1969 Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to set
foot on the moon.
1973 The first Ladies Race - the Cullinan Diamond
Stakes - is held at Ascot. Caroline Blackwell wins
on Hurdy Gurdy.
1975 The “race of the century” between Grundy
and Bustino in the King George. The first three
placed horses all break the previous course record.
Horse and Hound write that “for a moment, two
horses and two men came as near to perfection as
any of the great ones around whom the history of
the Turf is built”.
1976 The first commercial Concorde flight takes
off.
1984 007 at Ascot. Scenes of “A View to a Kill” are
filmed at Ascot.
1987 Princess Anne wins the Dresden Diamond
Stakes on Ten No Trumps, becoming the first
member of the Royal Family to ride an Ascot
winner.
Gay Kelleway became the first woman to ride a
winner at Royal Ascot on Sprowston Boy in the
Queen Alexandra Stakes.
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1996 Frankie Dettori’s Magnificent Seven. On 28th
September Frankie wins all seven races.
1997 The Marquess of Hartington (current Duke
of Devonshire) becomes the Queen’s fourth
representative at Ascot.
1998 The Royal Ascot Racing Club is founded.
2001 Due to the knock on effects of the General
Election, the Royal Procession is restricted to two
days as horses and carriages are required for the
State Opening of Parliament.
Foot and Mouth strikes Britain. Cheltenham
Festival is cancelled, but Royal Ascot goes ahead
with disinfectant mats on all entrances.
2002 The Royal Meeting is extended to five days
to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. The Cork
and Orrery Stakes is renamed the Golden Jubilee
Stakes.
2005 Royal Ascot held at York whilst
redevelopment takes place.
Motivator, owned by The Royal Ascot Racing Club,
wins the Derby.
2006 After twenty months, the new £220 million
Ascot Grandstand re-opens at the Royal Meeting.
The new stand is 370 metres long and 57 metres
wide.
Yeats takes The Gold Cup for the first time.
2007 200th anniversary of The Gold Cup, Yeats
wins again.
2008 Yeats scores a hat-trick of Gold Cups.
2009 Yeats wins The Gold Cup for a record fourth
time.
2011 Ascot Tercentenary Celebrations.
Inaugural British Champions Day at Ascot, 15th
October.
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his head in a very distinctive way and later on in his
career, as his neck developed, he became instantly
recognisable. He is beautifully proportioned. From
the side he is deep and powerfully built, especially
through the shoulder he is sinuous and yet every
line flows with an effortless grace. From the front
he is streamlined and slender - even his ears are
close together when pricked. It is easy to see why
he had so much success when considering this
combination of power and aerodynamism.
To commemorate the achievement of Ascot’s
greatest equine legend, the four-time Gold Cup
winner Yeats, celebrated sculptor Charlie Langton
was commissioned to create a ten per cent over
life-size bronze of the horse who dominated
Royal Ascot from 2006 to 2009.
Yeats, now standing at Coolmore Stud in Ireland,
was owned by Mrs John Magnier and Mrs David
Nagle, trained by Aidan O’Brien, and ridden by
Kieren Fallon (2006), Michael Kinane (2007) and
Johnny Murtagh (2008 and 2009). The statue will
be unveiled at Royal Ascot and in his own words,
Charlie Langton talks in glowing terms of the
challenge:
“But the thing that really strikes me about Yeats
is how he moves. He is almost regal in his head
carriage and he glides over the ground effortlessly.
I could not have had a better subject for my first
life-size bronze.
“The process began last summer with a week of
measuring, sketching and sculpting at Coolmore
Stud. This was the most important stage as I was
able to get to know Yeats from watching him in
his daily routine and then spend time speaking
to the lads and all those that know him well. It
was vital that I gained a complete picture of the
horse from those closest to him as I was keen to
capture the horse’s character as well as his physical
dimensions.
“Having made a one quarter scale maquette of
Yeats I began work on the ten per cent over
life-size version in October 2010. The process
involves a steel armature, on top of which I
added clay - over forty bags were needed (more
than one tonne). Over sixty measurements taken
from Yeats were used along with video footage,
my sketches and maquettes, and I also made trips
back to Coolmore to refresh my eye. He took over
eight hundred hours to sculpt.
“I had my own very strong mental image of Yeats
parading around the ring at Ascot to add to this
information and therefore I could establish a pose
that married all these elements. He always carried
it is a very large space to keep warm and
it was a constant battle against the cold
to prevent the clay from freezing. Every
night my Yeats was wrapped up in a New
Zealand rug and sleeping bags. Once I
was getting close to being happy with the
sculpture, the mould making could begin.
This was done over the course of ten days
by three highly skilled mould makers. He
was moulded in seven sections (the four
legs, head, tail and body). The moulds
were then taken to the foundry and a
combination of the lost wax process
and sand casting were used to create the
bronze.
“I hope more than anything that my
sculpture does justice to Yeats and that
those who know him best will think that I
have captured his presence and character.
Yeats is an Ascot legend and I feel
extremely privileged to have been chosen
to sculpt him.”
“I built a new studio especially for working on this
scale so that, vitally, I could have the room to stand
back and see the work from a distance. However,
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This new variety of rose will be planted at Ascot for
all racegoers to enjoy. Subject to the unpredictable
English weather, the first blooms of Queen Anne
will hopefully be on display in full glory during
Royal Ascot and this rose will continue to bloom
throughout the summer months. It will also take
its place in the National Collection of English
Roses which is displayed alongside David Austin’s
Plant Centre in Albrighton. This new rose will be
available to view on both the David Austin and
Ascot websites from mid May and will feature in
David Austin’s ‘Handbook of Roses’.
‘Queen Anne’ by David Austin, is one of five new
rose varieties, which will be officially unveiled
in May at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show,
London. This beautiful pink rose is named after
the founder of Ascot Racecourse, in celebration
of the tercentenary anniversary of this national
institution.
Deciding upon a name for a new English Rose is
something David Austin sees as an essential part
of the rose breeding process. Rose lovers write to
suggest many hundreds of names each year, which
are considered for one of his new releases. From
so many options, David Austin aims to choose
a name that perfectly suits the unique character
of each rose. Many of the rose names celebrate
people or places that have played an important
part in shaping British heritage.
Contact for further information and images
Jo Riley, David Austin Roses, 01902 376330
[email protected]
David C.H. Austin says: “‘Queen Anne’ is a rose
with a very classic Old Rose beauty. The flowers
have something of the charming character of
Bourbon and Centifolia roses, which have long
been celebrated by artists. The way the flowers of
a rose are held on the stem has always fascinated
me – this makes a very particular and often
overlooked contribution to its overall character.
Some of our roses have flowers that face upwards,
others are gently nodding, while others are held in
airy sprays. The flowers of my new variety ‘Queen
Anne’ are very beautifully poised on their stems,
and this somehow made me feel that the ideal
name would celebrate not only a Queen, but also
a sport where poise and grace are so important.”
Notes to Editors
David Austin is the internationally recognised,
award winning breeder of the English Roses.
These combine the beautiful flower forms and
fragrances of old roses with the wide colour
range and repeat-flowering of modern roses. As a
group they offer a rare blend of beauty, fragrance
and functionality with an almost indefinable
characteristic – grace.
On the Shropshire border, David Austin and his
son, also called David Austin, oversee one of the
world’s largest garden rose breeding programmes.
150,000 crosses are made between April and
July each year and over 250,000 seedlings will
germinate the following year. These are grown
on to flowering size when the rigorous selection
procedure begins. After eight years of field
trials, only the best three to six new varieties will
be released each year. The ‘Queen Anne’ rose
is a wonderful result of this extensive breeding
programme.
The medium-sized flowers of ‘Queen Anne’ are a
beautiful, pure rose pink, the outer petals slightly
paler than the central ones. It will quickly form
an upright but still bushy shrub rose, with very
few thorns. The blooms have a most attractive,
rounded Old Rose scent with hints of pear drops.
The rose is ideal for rose beds, mixed borders and
large decorative planters.
‘Queen Anne’ will be available to buy as a potted
rose at the end of May direct from David Austin
Roses. Bare root stock will be available to buy from
May onwards for November 2011 despatch.
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To mark the Royal Racecourse’s historic
tercentenary landmark, James Sherwood, well
known as part of the BBC’s Royal Ascot fashion
team, has written a superbly illustrated history
of men’s and ladies’ fashions at Royal Ascot
throughout the years.
Fashion at Royal Ascot has been produced with
the full co-operation of Ascot, including access
to the official archives, and the resulting book is
no less than the definitive account, with over 500
stunning illustrations, of high fashion during the
last three centuries.
At the heart of Ascot Racecourse is the Royal
Meeting, a national institution and the centrepiece
of the British social calendar. Famous worldwide
for its unique dress code within the Royal
Enclosure, attire at this occasion is more important
and commented upon than at any other sporting
event.
Publication date: 6 June 2011
For more information, contact
Rosalie Macfarlane
Thames & Hudson Ltd
call 020 7845 5102
or email [email protected]
www.thamesandhudson.com
Sherwood traces the history of the Royal
Enclosure dress code and also looks at some of
the more flamboyant ensembles that have graced
Ascot’s famous lawns over the years.
James Sherwood is a writer, curator and
broadcaster who has written for every British
broadsheet for over 20 years as well as contributing
to the International Herald Tribune and the
NewYork Times. He is the editor-at-large of the
international men’s style bible, The Rake and is
the author of Savile Row:The Master Tailors of
British Bespoke (Thames & Hudson). He is the
BBC fashion correspondent at Royal Ascot, a
regular presenter on BBC1’s Inside Out, and has
presented documentaries about Savile Row, The
Savoy and the diamond industry.
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“Working from early morning to late at night the
new grandstand can be quiet yet still provides me
with so many memories. First to arrive are the
kitchen staff with their trolleys full, then the jockeys
and their horses begin to familiarise themselves
with the course and soon follow the TV crews
and reporters practicing their introductions. As
the mass of visitors arrive, the excitement and the
anticipation of a great day fills the atmosphere.
The tradition, the hats, the dressing up, it all makes
for a very special day out which I have enjoyed
capturing in this unique project.”
Internationally renowned photographer, Alistair
Morrison, will be producing an exhibition of
photographs to be displayed at Ascot Racecourse,
commemorating its historic tercentenary landmark
in 2011.
The exhibition, titled ‘My Kingdom for a Horse’
aims to showcase the acclaimed photographer’s
images depicting scenes around the world’s most
famous racecourse. From the fashion and tradition
of the Royal Meeting, to the stewards, stable lads,
jockeys and racing lovers, the series of photographs
are a reflection of the diverse characters that have
made Ascot such an institution in British culture.
This definitive collection records and celebrates
the heart and soul of Ascot Racecourse in its
300th year.
Notes to editors
With over 80 photographs in the Trustee’s
Collection at The National Portrait Gallery,
London, Morrison is considered one of the
foremost photographers of the last three
decades, with photographs ranging from great
icons of yesteryear like Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir
Peter Ustinov and Sir Alec Guiness; influential
politicians Baroness Thatcher, Henry Kissinger
and Hillary Clinton to figures of today such as
Dame Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and
Tom Cruise.
The exhibition can be viewed during Royal Ascot
in the marquee named My Kingdom for a Horse
and around the grounds throughout the year.
Contact for further information
Alistair Morrison said: “My Kingdom for a Horse
has been a project of commitment and passion,
working closely with Ascot Racecourse for the last
three years, to create a collection of photographs
which depict all facets of character and life at this
famous British establishment. From the power of
the horse, the splendour of the fashion and the
thousands of visitors welcomed through the gates,
it all makes the racecourse unique and colourful
yet still manages to hold onto and complement its
all important traditions.
Alistair Morrison:
[email protected]
Website:
www.alistairmorrison.com
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Membership of the Colts & Fillies Club is free
for all children aged 16 and under. Every member
receives a welcome pack including a special
members’ metal badge to be worn at all Family
Days and a pair of binoculars so that Colts &
Fillies members don’t miss any of the racing
action. Club members also receive quarterly ‘Turf
Talk’ newsletters during the year with updates
from Scotty, the Club mascot, informing them of
forthcoming family fixtures and special events. It
will keep members up-to-date with Safari Teams’
training programme and progress.
As Ascot Racecourse celebrates its 300th birthday,
it’s not just the adults that can be part of the action.
For the 2011 Flat season, the Colts & Fillies Club
will have a horse in training and everyone is
welcome to join the club and follow his progress
from the start of his training programme through
to, hopefully, winning at the track!
Safari Team has been kindly loaned to the Colts
& Fillies Club by the trainer Peter Winkworth,
and will be trained by Peter, Anton Pearson and
the team at Robins Farm Racing Stables, a new
purpose built racing yard near Guildford, Surrey.
Family Days in 2011
Sunday 10th April
Countryside Alliance Raceday
Sunday 24th July
Betfair Weekend
Saturday 6th August
Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup
Saturday 29th October
United House Group Day
Ascot has five dedicated family days in 2011 as
part of its racing calendar where the emphasis is
on fun and excitement, with plenty of attractions
for both young and old alike. All accompanied
children aged 18 and under are admitted free of
charge to all Ascot’s race meetings, making a family
day out at Ascot excellent value for money.
Safari Team raced four times as a two-year-old and
was placed fourth and third before winning on the
all-weather track at Lingfield in September.
Horseracing is brought to a younger audience at
Ascot through the children’s Colts & Fillies Club.
Keen to promote the sport to the next generation
of racing enthusiasts, the club aims to make the
sport more accessible, interesting, educational and
fun. Current membership stands at 11,500.
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Fuller, Smith & Turner, London’s only traditional
brewer, has created a special golden ale to celebrate
Ascot Racecourse celebrate its 300th birthday in
style.
Richard Fuller, sales director for Fuller’s, said:
“There are not many racecourses that could
celebrate a 300th birthday, so we are delighted to
help Ascot Racecourse mark theirs.
Ascot Tercentenary Ale is a brand new, limited
edition ale which will be available nationally in
Budgens, regionally in selected supermarkets and
Ascot Racecourse itself, from late April, followed
by selected Fuller’s pubs in cask during June. Only
30,000 bottles will be produced so they are sure to
be hot property once they go on sale.
“We have a worldwide reputation as a brewer of
some of the best beers around, so we thought it
very fitting to create a new one just for Ascot. We
are very proud of our heritage and would like to
think of this partnership as a bit of a nod from
one truly English icon to another.
“Ascot Racecourse is a place full of majesty
and history, and we like to think that our Ascot
Tercentenary Ale will quickly become part of that
legend too.”
Crafted in partnership with the historic horse
racing venue, and brewed to 5% ABV, Ascot
Tercentenary Ale is bottle conditioned, meaning
a small amount of yeast remains to enable extra
fermentation in the bottle. It is this fermentation
which gives the beer a wonderful zing. Combined
with unmistakable tropical fruit notes, provided
in part by the hedgerow Sovereign hops, this
will make Ascot Tercentenary Ale a perfect
summertime beer.
For further information contact
Fuller’s Press Office
Phone 0208 996 2048/2175
or email [email protected]
Website: www.fullers.co.uk
Notes to editors
Fuller’s remains on its original site at the Griffin
Brewery in Chiswick, London. The company
has two trading divisions - Fuller’s Inns and The
Fuller’s Beer Company.
Fuller’s Inns runs 360 quality pubs, bars and
hotels across the south of England. The Fuller’s
Beer Company brews London Pride, the UK’s
leading premium cask ale, as well as a portfolio of
award-winning ales such as Chiswick Bitter, ESB
and 1845. Three of Fuller’s beers - London Pride,
ESB and Chiswick Bitter - have been named as
CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain, a record
unmatched by any other brewer.
In 2005, Fuller’s acquired George Gale & Co., of
Horndean, Hampshire. The purchase included
111 pubs, which were added to the Fuller’s estate,
together with the Gales portfolio of excellent
beers, including Seafarers and HSB which are
now brewed to Fuller’s exacting standards in
Chiswick.
Fuller’s aims to be the benchmark in retailing and
brewing by delivering quality, service and pride in
everything it does.
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More recently we have announced that we will
support the National Association of Stable Staff
campaign to establish a minimum standard of
stable staff facilities at Britain’s racecourses. We
are the first company to provide support to the
vital role they play within racing and these kinds
of partnerships highlight the commitment we
hold to support all areas of the racing industry.
At Betfair we’re all incredibly proud to be working
with Ascot Racecourse as they celebrate this
fantastic tercentenary milestone. With Betfair’s
first ever market only going live in 2000 we
obviously have a long way to go before we can lay
claim to such a famous history!
It was back in December 2008 that Betfair was
announced as the new sponsor of the King
George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which
was run for £1 million for the first time in 2009
(£850,000 in 2008). Since then the partnership
has blossomed and we’ve enjoyed many fantastic
highlights, including turning Ascot pink for the
inaugural Betfair Ascot Chase on Valentine’s Day
2009!
Betfair is one of the world’s largest international
online sports betting providers and pioneered
the first successful Betting Exchange in 2000.
Our Exchange, where customers come together
in order to bet at odds sought by themselves or
offered by other customers, has revolutionised the
betting industry.
Driven by world-leading technology the company
now processes over five million transactions a day
from its three million registered customers around
the world. Betfair is committed to upholding the
highest standards of sporting integrity and, in
addition to sports betting, Betfair offers a portfolio
of innovative products including casino, exchange
games, arcade and poker.
Our support of UK racing is not just about our
high-profile flagship partnerships. We’re also
committed to spending £3 million over the next
three years supporting the grassroots of the
industry, a figure which includes sponsorship
at every racecourse in the UK, every year. We
are especially proud of our sponsorship of the
Apprentice and Conditional Jockeys’ Series, which
aims to give young jockeys the opportunity to ride
out and compete in a field that will hopefully give
them the necessary experience to make further
strides in their career.
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Betfair continues to invest in the development of
a first class racing betting experience. Alongside
a wider sports site redesign, we have launched
a number of improvements specific to racing,
including an extension of our live video feeds
to Racing UK tracks, and the introduction of
Each Way Multiples. Betfair was the first betting
company to have an official app in the Apple
Store, and with the rapid growth of Android
and smartphones we have been working hard to
provide our new and existing customers with all
of the features that would come to expect from
a company that prides itself on technological
excellence.
For all media enquiries please
contact the Betfair Press Office
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 (0) 844 871 0821
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Over the past 300 years Ascot Racecourse has
undergone some tremendous regeneration and
Longines is delighted to be a part of the new era
of this prestigious sporting venue. In 2011, the
luxury watchmaker will continue its role as the
Official Timekeeper of the flat race season at Ascot,
including Royal Ascot, ensuring technological
precision and elegance synonymous with both
brands.
Mr von Känel, President of Longines, says:
Notes to Editors
“There is no other comparable event in the racing
world to the Royal Meeting. Moreover, Ascot –
and even more specifically, Royal Ascot – perfectly
suits Longines’ identity expressed through its
slogan: ‘Elegance is an attitude’.”
Longines started sport timekeeping in 1878. As
early as 1912, at The Swiss Federal Gymnastics
Meet in Basel, Longines delivered a world first when
it introduced an electromechanical timekeeping
system based on the broken-wire principle. Then,
during the Second World War, Longines developed
a light-beam finishing line using a photoelectric
cell, in the process revolutionising the art of
timekeeping at a stroke. For Longines President,
Walter von Kaenel, rising to the challenge and
becoming involved with Ascot was a logical step
for a company steeped in history and sporting
tradition, as well as reflecting the elegance of
equestrian sport. Traditionally “Longines has
chosen to support equestrian sports because they
transmit a certain style and elegance. Furthermore,
equestrian sports demand concentration, precision
and experience. These are the values which form
the very foundation of Longines watch making
tradition and philosophy”.
Contact for further information and images
Lucy Barrett, Longines
Phone: 020 7053 2470
[email protected]
Longines has long term experience in equestrian
sport across the globe and therefore it was a natural
choice when Ascot decided to revolutionise the
timing system at the racecourse in 2007 to work
closely with the watchmaker. In a year when
Ascot is celebrating its tercentenary, Longines is
delighted to be the official timekeeper of the flat
season which includes Royal Ascot and also cosponsor the Royal Ascot Fashion Show, with both
events embodying perfectly the brand’s key value,
elegance.
Longines has been able to apply its expertise to
generate precise, accurate timekeeping for the
racecourse, with special software uniquely created
to complement the photo finish camera. It allows
the operator to read the time as soon as the winner
passes the post and works in conjunction with the
broadcaster and the Judge.
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April
May
June
Sunday 10th
Countryside Alliance Raceday
Friday 6th
Transformers & Rectifiers
Racenight
Tuesday 14th
Royal Ascot
Wednesday 27th
Totepool Free Raceday
Saturday 7th
Totesport Victoria Cup Day
Wednesday 15th
Royal Ascot
Thursday 16th
Royal Ascot
Friday 17th
Royal Ascot
Saturday 18th
Royal Ascot
July
August
September
Friday 8th
Property Raceday
Saturday 6th
The Dubai Duty Free
Sherger Cup
Saturday 3rd
Ascot Festival of Food Raceday
October
November
December
Sarurday 1st
Autumn Meeting
Friday 18th
November Meeting
Friday 16th
Christmas Meeting
Saturday 15th
QIPCO British Champions Day
Saturday 19th
November Meeting
Saturday 17th
Christmas Meeting
Saturday 9th
Totesport Summer Mile
Raceday
Friday 30th
Autumn Meeting
Friday 22nd
Betfair Weekend
Saturday 23rd
Betfair Weekend
King George Day
Sunday 24th
Betfair Weekend
Saturday 29th
United House Group Day
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For information on policy
and all general aspects
For non racing media and
public relations enquiries
Charles Barnett
Chief Executive
[email protected]
01344 878501
Karen Smith
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
01344 878430 / 07717 851566
For racing, international, media
and public relations enquiries
Images and further details on the tercentenary
can be obtained from the racecourse, please
contact Karen Smith, PR Manager, using the
above contact details.
Nick Smith
Head of Communications
& International Racing
[email protected]
01344 878524 / 07771 791449
www.ascot.co.uk
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