2009 Royal Ascot Races

The Royal Ascot meeting can trace its roots back to the earliest days of thoroughbred racing in England, with the first race meeting held on Ascot Downs in 1711 at the behest of Queen Anne. Racing at Ascot enjoyed immediate popularity, and by 1768 the meeting had become an annual event hosted over four days.

According to Royal Ascot history, the first of the modern Royal Ascot feature races was added to the meeting in 1808 with the running of the Ascot Gold Cup. The other four feature races were added during the next five decades, as the modern incarnation of the festival gradually took shape. Whilst none of the races from the inaugural Royal Ascot meeting survive, several traditions continue to this day, including the daily Royal procession.

Ascot Racecourse is inextricably intertwined with the history of the Royal Ascot meeting. The course has evolved from a few rudimentary grandstands set on the open downs of Ascot, into one of the most advanced racing facilities in Europe.

The racecourse itself comprises a right-handed triangular racetrack which covers a distance of 1 mile 6 furlongs. The most famous course feature is the steep uphill climb that leads to the finishing post. The racetrack also features a 1 mile straight for sprints and races up to 8 furlongs.

The 2009 Royal Ascot meeting will once again provide the highlight of the thoroughbred racing season, with hundreds of thousands of racing fans flocking to Ascot Racecourse to watch the finest thoroughbred racehorses in Britain in action. The highlights of the meeting are certain to come from the seven group one races run during the course of the proceedings.

Whilst the Ascot Gold Cup will take centre stage on Ladies' Day, other races worth watching include:

• The St. James' Palace Stakes


• The King's Stand Stakes


• The Queen Anne Stakes


• The Prince of Wales' Stakes


• The Coronation Stakes


• The Golden Jubilee Stakes

The feature races at the Royal Ascot meeting are amongst a handful of races to receive year round antepost coverage from online bookmakers. Not only are these races significant betting events in their own right, but they also tend to provide added interest due to the presence of many of the winners of Irish and English Classics in the field. 2009 Royal Ascot betting is best done after consulting an odds checker to establish which bookmaker offers the best odds for a given race.

• A Royal Enclosure was only added to Ascot Racecourse in 1830 after a sailor threw a rock at William IV. Today, this enclosure enforces a strict dress code, adhering to the norms of a bygone era.


• The Royal Ascot meeting has been credited with keeping the milliners (hat-makers) industry in England alive, with thousands of female spectators commissioning hats specifically for use at the event.


• Around 185,000 bottles of champagne are consumed at the Royal Ascot meeting annually, along with 11,000 lobsters.


• The Prince of Wales' Stakes and the Golden Jubilee Stakes both pay out purses of £450,000, amongst the biggest prizes in English thoroughbred racing.