Please read and enjoy our article and watch your FREE LONDON MUSIC VIDEO at the end "And they're neck and neck with two furlongs to go….." calmly advises the tannoy in the Royal Ascot Grandstand.
The thud of the horses hooves are drowned out by the sound of 10,000 voices calling for greater effort. "Come on, come ON!" | | The mighty hearts of those gallant thoroughbreds pounding faster from the huge effort they were trained for. Every sinew straining and hooves digging deep into the hallowed turf sending clods high in the air behind them.
Their sole purpose on this earth being swiftness of foot and the stamina to go the Royal Ascot distance for the entertainment of their self-styled masters, man.
What sights and sounds there are to be had at this most Royal event in this Sport of Kings ! There are few more exciting and evocative sporting events than Royal Ascot .
Geography prevents London from claiming Ascot racecourse as its own but, during Royal Ascot, it seems as if most of London takes the week off to enjoy the event.
Probably alongside the Epsom Derby week, this must be the most famous race meeting in the world.
Royal Ascot is steeped in history, dating as far back as 1711 . Tradition reigns supreme and every day, the lucky spectators are greeted by the sight of the Royal family arriving in a train of horse-drawn carriages .
Royal Ascot is a major event in the British social calendar . Dress code and fashion is often seen as more important than the actual racing. The Royal Enclosure has a strict dress code . Men must wear full mourning dress, including a top hat , whilst ladies must not show bare midriffs or shoulders and must wear hats .
To be admitted to the Royal Enclosure for the first time one must either be a guest of a member or be sponsored for membership by a member who has attended at least four times. Sadly, this protocol reinforces some of the divisive traditions of UK society , the 'them and us' syndrome that has existed for more than a thousand years. 'They', for instance, own their own mourning suits, 'we' hire ours from Moss Bros !
Outside the Royal Enclosure the dress code is less severe, but many people choose to wear formal dress anyway. It is usually fun to dress up occasionally and Royal Ascot is the perfect occasion. |
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|  | | Head on for the finishing line | The ladies, in particular, go to amazing lengths to look glamorous, particularly on the Thursday, traditionally known as Ladies Day .
Many of the visitors to Royal Ascot know nothing about racing, and are there purely for the social side and to drink large quantities of champagne, or indeed large quantities of whatever is available!
Inevitably, some racing purists, despite the very high quality of the racing, do not particularly like the Royal Ascot meeting for its 'dog and pony show" image with the social elite and their imitators taking centre stage from the racing.
More than 300,000 people attend Royal Ascot week, making this Europe's best-attended race meeting . | | | The 'fields' are extremely high quality with 16 Group races on offer, with at least one Group One event (the highest quality racing) on each of the five days of Royal Ascot.
Hopes are always high but hearts are invariably broken!
Some lucky owners will leave Royal Ascot with huge cheques and expensive prizes. The 'big race', the Ascot Gold Cup is on Ladies' Day on the Thursday . There is over £3,000,000 of prize money on offer.
Most racegoers, however, will leave Royal Ascot with fuzzy heads and happy memories; but lighter wallets!
They will also be hoping that the man at Moss Bros doesn't notice the champagne stains when the rental suit is returned the following day! |
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