A Guide to Royal Ascot Programme

Royal Ascot Programme

The main event of Royal Ascot is called the Royal Meeting, although it is also known as Royal Ascot. When Royal Ascot was founded by Queen Anne in 1711, the original races were held in August, and the marquee event was Her Royal Majesty's plate, a race with three heats across 4 miles.

More races were added over the next decades, but none of the races were officiated or were recorded until 1807, when the Gold Cup was established. This was at the same time as the formation of the Jockey Clubs around Britain, which started writing official rules and keeping documents on all of the races. Since then, a number of races were added to Royal Ascot, and today there are 31 races.

The races are usually held around the middle of June, starting on a Tuesday and ending on Saturday. The five day event begins with the arrival of the Royal Family, who arrive at precisely 2 pm. The parade is called the Royal Procession, and once the Royals arrive, they head for the Royal Enclosure where they will be able to follow the races.

Tuesday

Tuesday is a day where racing fans can watch some of the top graded events. Royal Ascot starts with the Group 1 flat race Queen Anne Stakes, named after the founder of Royal Ascot. This race is run over the distance of 1 mile, and has a purse of £400,000.

The other main races include the King's Stand Stakes and the St James's Palace Stakes which are also Group 1 races, though the King's Stand Stakes is run over 5 furlongs and the St James's Palace Stakes is run over the distance of 1 mile.

Tuesday also features the Coventry Stakes, the Ascot Stakes, Wolferton Stakes and Buckingham Palace Stakes. The Coventry Stakes were named after the 9th Earl of Coventry, who served as the Master of the Buckhounds at Royal Ascot, the horse race is 6 furlongs long and is open to only 2 year old horses. The Ascot Stakes is a long distance handicap race run over the distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs. The Wolferton Stakes is run over the course of 1 mile and 1 furlong and is open to horses that are at least four year old. The Buckingham Palace Stakes are the last race on Tuesday and are run over the distance of 7 furlongs.

Wednesday

The second day of Royal Ascot features more races for fillies and mares only. It starts with the Jersey Stakes, a Group 3 race run over 7 furlongs for 3 year old horses only. This is followed by two Group 2 graded races, the Queen Mary Stakes and the Duke of Cambridge Stakes that are run over 5 furlongs and 1 mile. Both races are exclusively for fillies or mares, with the Queen Mary Stakes open to 2 year old fillies only, and the Duke of Cambridge Stakes open to 4 year old and older fillies or mares.

The Prince of Wales's Stakes is the only Group 1 horse race on the second day, and these are run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs, for horses aged 4 year old or older. The day ends with two handicap races, the Royal Hunt Cup and the Sandringham Stakes. The Royal Hunt Cup is run over the distance of 1 mile and is open to horses aged 3 years old or older. The Sandringham Stakes are also 1 mile long, but these are open to 3 year old fillies only.

Thursday

The third day of Royal Ascot, which is always a Thursday, is the Gold Cup race day and is also known as "Ladies Day ''. This day starts off with one of the shortest races, the Norfolk Stakes which are a Group 2 race that are run over 5 furlongs and are open only to horses aged 2 years old. This is followed by the Hampton Court Stakes which are a Group 3 race run over the distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs, open to 3 year old horses. The next race is the Ribblesdale Stakes, named after the 4th Baron Ribblesdale who served as the Master of the Buckhounds in the late 19th century. This is a Group 2 race open to 3 year old fillies, and is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs.

The fourth race of the day is the famed Gold Cup, the race that was the first to be established in 1807. This race is a Group 1 race that is run over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs, for horses aged 4 years and older. This event is one of the main races, and ticket prices on this day may be more than some of the other days. Thursday ends with the Britannia Stakes and the King George V Stakes. The Britannia Stakes are run over 1 mile and are open to 3 year old colts and geldings only. The King George V Stakes are run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs and are only open to horses aged 3 years old.

Friday

The fourth day of racing starts on an emotional note for the Queen. The first race is the Albany Stakes, established in 2002 in memory of Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon, who was Queen Elizabeth II's racing manager. This race is a Group 3 race that is run over 6 furlongs and is open to 3 year old horses. The second race is the King Edward VII Stakes, to commemorate King Edward VII, son of Queen Victoria and the great grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II.  This race is a Group 2 race that is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs and is open to 3 year old colts and geldings only.

The following two races are the Commonwealth Cup and the Coronation Stakes, two Group 1 races. The Commonwealth Cup is run over 6 furlongs and is run by 3 year old horses only. The Coronation Stakes are run over 1 mile and are open to 3 year old fillies only. This is followed by the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes that is run over the distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs and is open to all horses aged 3 years and older.

Friday finishes with the Queen's Vase, a race where the original trophy was a golden vase donated by Queen Victoria. This race is a Group 2 race that is run over the distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs, and is open to 3 year old horses only.

Saturday

The last day of Royal Ascot starts with the Chesham Stakes and the Windsor Castle Stakes. The races are 7 furlongs and 5 furlongs long, and are both open to horses aged 2 years old.  These are followed by the Hardwicke Stakes, named after the 5th Earl of Hardwicke who served as Master of the Buckhounds in the 19th century. The race is a Group 2 race run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs and is open to horses aged 4 years and older. The following race is the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, which was originally named the All-Aged Stakes and then renamed to the Cork and Orrery Stakes before it was renamed in 2002 to the Golden Jubilee Stakes and then renamed again in 2012 to the Diamond Jubilee Stakes to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. This is a Group 1 race that is run over 6 furlongs and is open to horses aged 4 years old and older. This is followed by the Wokingham Stakes, a 6 furlong race that is open to 3 year old and older horses.

The final race in Royal Ascot is the Queen Alexandra Stakes, named after Queen Alexandra of Denmark, the consort of King Edward VII. This is the longest race in the whole Royal Ascot, and is run over a distance of 2 miles, 5 furlongs and 159 yards. This race is open to horses aged 4 years old and older.