RacingBetter News
	Thursday 13th July 2023

The Royal Ascot Experience

A highlight of the British horse racing calendar, Royal Ascot is 5 days of fun and tradition to enjoy on the racecourse or from home. This year, the event will take place from June 20 to 24, 2023 with seven races per day or 35 races in total. And to better appreciate, it is advisable to adopt the strict dress code! At Royal Ascot, spectators dress in their best outfits and wear spectacular hats to take part in this so British tradition...

In the UK, all races and the opening show are shown on Sky Sports Racing, ITV and ITV4, giving many households the opportunity to adopt the strict dress code while watching the event at home. Remember that you can bet on the races on playamo. Globally, the event will be broadcast in approximately 200 countries and will be accessible to more than 650 million households, enough to make racing fans want to plan a trip to Great Britain.

Tribute to royal heritage with new races

Named after the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Royal Ascot will host the first “Kensington Palace Stakes” in 2021, a new handicap that will take place on the Old Mile. The move follows additions to the 2020 schedule of the Copper Horse Stakes, Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes and Golden Gates Stakes, as well as the return of the Buckingham Palace Handicap after a five-year hiatus.

The names of these new races refer to Britain's royal heritage, the Copper Horse Stakes being an allusion to the large bronze monument of King George III in Windsor Great Park. Depicting the monarch on horseback, the statue sits at the end of the iconic Long Walk, which starts at Windsor Castle. In the same spirit, the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes celebrates the residence of the British monarch in Scotland, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, located on Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile.

History, Traditions and Royal Processions

The origins of horse racing in Britain date back to the 1100s when the first Arabian stallions were brought to the country by English knights returning from the Crusades. In the centuries that followed, these elegant creatures were bred locally and crossed with local breeds. It is their descendants that we see running on the racetracks.

Ascot Racecourse was opened over 300 years ago by Queen Anne, a great horse lover. It was later sponsored by many monarchs including Queen Elizabeth. The summer meeting received its royal title in 1911 and over the years it has become one of the most anticipated sporting events, combining elegance, heritage, gallantry and tradition. If there will be no spectators this year, it is easy to imagine the crowded stands, carefully renovated in 2004 and 2006. With 5 days of high quality event, Royal Ascot is the high point of the British horse racing season.

This year is the first time the Queen will not attend Royal Ascot in her 68-year reign. Usually, each day begins with the arrival by horse-drawn carriage of His Royal Highness and his family. This royal procession has been a tradition since 1825, when King George IV made a remarkable arrival with his family.