Top Ten Trivia: Royal Ascot
Posted by Ella on June 18, 2008
10. Ascot Racecourse is most famous for its association with the royal family. Although it is a public racecourse, established firmly as such by an Act of Parliament in 1813, it is actually a part of the Crown Estates, which means that it is owned by the monarchy.
9. Although Royal Ascot in June is the most famous series of races held at Ascot Racecourse, there are other races run during the year. There are sixteen “flat” meetings — unlike steeplechases, flat races don’t include hurdles — held in May and October. In July, the racecourse also hosts the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
8. The racecourse was opened by Queen Anne, a major fan of horse racing, in 1711. The first race, called “Her Majesty’s Plate,” was held on August 11 of that year.
7. The most desirable seats in the house at Ascot Racecourse are in the Royal Enclosure. Until very recently, the enclosure was a tough ticket to get; you either had to be admitted as the guest of a member, or be sponsored for membership yourself by someone who was already a member and had attended in the enclosure at least four times. There was some controversy in 2007 when passes to the enclosure were freely distributed as a part of a hospitality package by the racecourse.
6. Ascot changed rules to allow steeplechasing and hurdles only in 1965.
5. Royal Ascot lasts for five days. Perhaps the most famous of these is Ladies’ Day on Thursday, when the Ascot Gold Cup is run.
4. Want to go to Royal Ascot? If you sit in the enclosure, there are strict dress codes to be followed. Men must wear morning dress and top hats. Women must also wear hats (the sillier, the better), and they cannot bare their shoulders or midriffs. Reportedly in 2008, the dress code was tightened to restrict the length of women’s hemlines, as well (we think maybe Eugenie was pushing it yesterday…).
3. Many races at Ascot are named after former members of the royal family. Along with the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the racecourse also hosts races named for Princess Margaret, Queen Alexandra, King Edward VII, Queen Anne, and Queen Elizabeth II. The Prince of Wales’s Stakes also refers to Edward VII, back in the days when he was just Prince Albert.
2. The population of Berkshire increases by 300,000 during Royal Ascot Week.
1. Ascot underwent an extensive renovation from 2004-06. Originally billed at a whopping 185 million pounds, an additional 10 million had to be invested to re-work some of the grandstand renovations after spectators complained about the new accomodations.
