Facts About Royal Ascot: The Weird And Wonderful

Royal Ascot is a world-renowned and breathtaking horse racing event that takes place over 26 days every year. It stands as an unforgettable race day and a thrilling event. Held at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire England, Ascot’s rich history and heritage is a staple in the year-round sporting calendar.

Over the years, Ascot has attracted over 300,000 guests over each five-day racing interval, including celebrities, the Royal Family and high society figures.
Let’s race into action and go into some facts about Royal Ascot!

Facts for the finishing line chats

• Horse racing has been taking place at Ascot since it was founded by Queen Anne in 1711
• The first ever race to take place there was known as 'Her Majesty's Plate', consisting of four heats that were all the length of the Grand National
• The first Royal Meeting took place at Ascot in 1768
• The horse with the greatest stamina would win a prize of 100 Guineas
• Britain’s most popular race meeting, welcoming in excess of 250,000 racegoers across five days
• Over 60,000 racegoers attend Gold Cup Day on the Thursday
• The Green Coats has long been an essential part of The Royal Ascot
• It’s the most valuable race meeting in Britain with £10M in prize money
• Approximately 720 helicopters descend on Royal Ascot every year
• 225 temporary structures are built for the Royal Meeting
• The fashion on display is a major highlight filled with extravagant hats and outfits
• 40 live music acts performed across the five days
• 593 horses run across five days
• Royal Ascot 2023 was broadcast in 175 territories
• There are more than 204 private boxes
• 12 Michelin star chefs and 17 fine dining restaurants attend
• 40 professional kitchens operate during Royal Ascot - 25 in the Grandstand, plus one for every two boxes
• Over 15,000 flowers and plants are grown and planted especially for Royal Ascot

Facts for the foodies

During the five days of the Royal Meeting racegoers consume the following:

• 220,000 hand-crafted afternoon tea cakes
• 109,000 bottles of mineral water
• 110,000 buttermilk scones
• 80,000 cups of tea
• 220,000 finger sandwiches
• 65,000 bottles of Champagne
• 100,000 bottles of wine
• 7,000 sticks of English asparagus
• 26,000 jugs of Pimm's
• 50,000 afternoon teas
• 10,000 punnets of mixed berries
• 6,000 rumps of English lamb
• 3,000 kilos of salmon
• 7,300 Angus steaks
• 3,000 fresh lobsters
• 3,000 kilos of beef sirloin
• 1,200kg of Cornish clotted cream
• 1000 hand raised pork pies

That’s some serious stats!

If these fun facts haven’t yet drawn you into the frenzy that is the prestigious, stylish and bucket-list Royal Ascot, then we don’t know what will! Why not find out more about our premium and exclusive VIP hospitality experiences to make your race day even more special with your friends.