Ascot Racecourse is a racecourse, located in the village of Ascot in the English county of Berkshire used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is closely associated with the British Royal Family and is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 31 annual Group 1 races.

History

Ascot Racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne. Its first race, "Her Majesty's Plate," with a purse of 100 guineas, was held on August 11, 1711. Seven horses competed, each carrying a weight of 12 stones. This first race comprised three separate four-mile heats.

In 1813, Parliament passed an act to ensure that the grounds would remain a public racecourse. In 1913, Parliament passed an act creating the Ascot Authority , an entity that manages the racecourse to this day. From its creation until 1945, the only racing that took place at Ascot was the Royal Meeting, a four-day event. Since that date, more fixtures have been introduced to the grounds, notably the Steeplechase and hurdles in 1965.

Contemporary racing

According to publicity, Ascot today stages twenty-five days of racing over the course of the year, comprising sixteen Flat meetings held in the months of May and October, and nine National Hunt meetings held in the months of November and April. The Royal Meeting, held in June, remains a major draw.

Temporary closure

Ascot racecourse closed for a period of twenty months on September 26 2004 for a redevelopment budgeted at £185 million. In the meantime, all racing fixtures have been moved to a variety of other racecourses, with the prestigious Royal Meeting moving to York Racecourse for 2005.

Royal Ascot

The Royal Meeting is a major event in the English social calendar , and press coverage of the attendees and what they are wearing often exceeds coverage of the actual racing.

See Also

• Ascot Racecourse, Western Australia

External Link

• Official site