Royal Ascot: A Brief History

“Ideal for horses to gallop at full stretch.” These were the words spoken by Queen Anne that have shaped the history of Ascot Racecourse. It was whilst riding out from Windsor Castle in 1711 that she first saw the land that had such potential for horse racing. Inspired by what she had discovered, Ascot’s inaugural event – Her Majesty’s Plate – was held here upon her request that very same year. For more than 300 years since, the patronage of thirteen monarchs has helped make Ascot one of the world’s best-loved racecourses.

The racecourse was laid out by William Lowen and Ascot’s first event was held on Saturday 11th August 1711, with its first four-day meeting taking place in 1768 A permanent building was erected to hold just over 1,600 people in 1793 and the now-renowned Gold Cup was introduced fourteen years later. It was at the beginning of the nineteenth century where the origins of today’s Royal Meeting lie.

It was around the same time that the roots of today’s traditional Royal Enclosure Dress Code emerged. Beau Brummell, a close friend of the Prince Regent, decreed that 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 attire for ladies, including of course hats – and today, the issuing of the Lookbook maintains Royal Ascot’s unique event experience while encouraging racegoers to dress in an outfit authentic to their own personal style.

Ascot’s first major redevelopment came to fruition in 1954 with the relocation of the Straight Mile north to allow more space behind the stands This was quickly followed by the construction of the Queen Elizabeth II Grandstand in 1961 and the Members’ Stand in 1964.

Ascot’s much-loved tradition of singing around the Bandstand began in the 1970s under the stewardship of Lady Beaumont, wife of then Clerk of the Course, Captain Sir Nicholas Beaumont.

2002 saw plenty of change to the established pattern of Royal Ascot as it expanded to five days to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The Cork & Orrery Stakes became The Golden Jubilee Stakes, which was renamed again in 2012 to The Diamond Jubilee Stakes and to The Platinum Jubilee Stakes in 2022.

The feature Group 1 race on the final day now honours Her Late Majesty in perpetuity as The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes

Ascot Racecourse closed in September 2004 for redevelopment, which meant the Royal Meeting was staged at York in 2005 The new Ascot Grandstand was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on time and to its £220 million budget, on 20th June 2006.

In 2009, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Yeats won an unprecedented fourth Gold Cup, beating the record set by Sagaro in the 1970s. A statue commemorating the great stayer’s remarkable achievement now stands in the Parade Ring.

Ascot celebrated its Tercentenary in 2011 while the following year, the Royal Meeting played its part in The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. On the track, the incomparable Frankel won The Queen Anne Stakes in sensational style, and Australian legend Black Caviar just clung on in a dramatic Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

In 2013, Estimate won The Gold Cup in the famous royal colours for Queen Elizabeth II to rapturous applause, having won The Queen’s Vase the previous year.

2015 was all about one man – Ryan Moore. Arguably the world’s best jockey, Moore won no less than nine of the 30 races over the week, a modern day record.

Also that year, Royal Ascot hosted the inaugural running of The Commonwealth Cup, bringing the number of Group 1 races at the meeting to eight. The race has quickly established itself as a feature of the week and in 2019 it was the joint-highest rated three-year-old race in the world.

2016 saw Tepin land The Queen Anne Stakes for Mark Casse, who followed in the footsteps of compatriot Wesley Ward as an American Royal Ascot-winning trainer.

In 2017, the Village Enclosure was opened to great acclaim, the first new enclosure at the Royal Meeting for 100 years. It provides a unique perspective being located on the inside of the track looking back towards the final furlong with Ascot’s famous Grandstand as a backdrop.

In 2018, prize money topped £7 million for the first time and this year it is a record £9.52 million. No race will be run for less than £100,000 and two Group 1 races – the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes are both worth £1 million. This has been significant in terms of maintaining the worldwide appeal of the Royal Meeting as it continues to attract the best horses from across the world.

In recent years, the magnificent Stradivarius claimed three Gold Cups under Frankie Dettori who heads into his final Royal Ascot this year with 77 winners at the Royal Meeting and hoping to add at least one final winner to that tally.

In 2014, Royal Ascot saw an amazing Group 1 sprint double for the Power family with Sole Power winning The King’s Stand Stakes and Slade Power following up in The Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

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