Over 300,000 people make the annual visit to Berkshire during Royal Ascot week, making this Europe's best attended race meeting.
It was Queen Anne who first saw the potential for a racecourse at Ascot. Whilst out riding in 1711, she came upon an area of open heath, not far from Windsor Castle, that looked an ideal place for “horses to gallop at full stretch.”
The Queen Anne Stakes first took place in 1840, then known as the Trial Stakes. In 1930 the name was changed to The Queen Anne Stakes in honour of the Royal founder of Ascot Racecourse. In 2003 the race was upgraded to Group 1 status after initially starting out as a Group 3 event.
Ascot racegoers were very fortunate this year in having the chance to see Europe’s and possibly the world’s best miler, globe-trotting mare Goldikova, whose victory in the first race confirmed her place at the very summit of the milers’ international standings.
As well as the rest of the racing, Royal Ascot is equally famous for socialising and dressing up. This year as usual the place really came alive for five magical days, with every corner of its vast spaces filled both inside and out with colour and glamour, chatter and activity.
