"Royal Ascot Horserace"

There are vast numbers of languages around the world, and we don’t understand most of them. But some languages are understood by all people all around the world despite their nationality and their mother tongue. They are the language of love, of music and of course the language of sport.  There is no need to mention that in ancient Greece wars must be interrupted to hold Olympic competitions.

Nowadays sport is also very popular with all people on our planet, so British are not an exception. They, like everyone else, love sports and games. Do they like go in for sports or do they just like to watch their favourite sports and games and shout for their favourite team? British usually are very proud because of the fact, that they invented and developed many of the sports and games played now all over the world. Guess what they are. (football, cricket, rugby, golf and many others).

The English have played football for many centuries. It’s a historical fact, that King Henry VIII passed a law, forbidding men to play football, because it took them away from archery.

If they are asked to name their favorite sport, they will probably name football, cricket or a lawn tennis, though many of them go in for such sports as golf, hockey (field hockey, not ice hockey). Many of them will name athletics, mountain climbing, and rugby. And, by all means, they will name horse-riding. That is the topic I am going to speak about today.

Few other nations are so much interested in horse-riding and horse-racing as British. The famous horse-races near Ascot are held every year. They are followed by sports fans from all over England. Royal Ascot. Ascot Royal Race is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot. It is one of the leading horserace competitions in the United Kingdom. The event is closely associated with the British Royal Family. Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced /ˈæskət/, often incorrectly pronounced /ˈæskɒt/) is a British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting nine of Britain's 32 annual Group 1 horse races.

The course, owned by Ascot Racecourse Ltd, enjoys close associations with the British Royal Family, being approximately six miles from Windsor Castle. Ascot today stages twenty-six days of racing over the course of the year, comprising eighteen flat meetings held between the months of May and October inclusive. It also stages important jump racing throughout the winter months. The Royal Meeting held each June, remains a major draw, its highlight being The Gold Cup. The most prestigious race is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run over the course in July

History

Ascot Racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne. The first race, "Her Majesty's Plate", with a purse of 100 guineas, was held on 11 August 1711. Seven horses competed, each carrying a weight of 12 stones (76 kg). This first race comprised three separate four-mile (6437 m) heats.

In 1813 Parliament passed an Act to ensure that the grounds would remain a public racecourse. A new grandstand was opened in 1839 at a cost of £10000. A further Act of Parliament of 1913 establishing the Ascot Authority which entity 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 steeplechase and hurdles in 1965.

Ascot racecourse closed for a period of twenty months on 26 September 2004, for a £185 million redevelopment funded by Allied Irish Bank and designed by Populous and Buro Happold. As owner of the Ascot estate, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth reopened the racecourse on Tuesday 20 June 2006.

Upon re-opening the new grandstand attracted criticism for failing to provide sufficiently raised viewing for patrons to watch the racing, and devoting too much space to restaurants, bars and corporate hospitality facilities. At the end of 2006 a £10 million programme of further alterations was announced to improve the viewing from lower levels of the grandstand using an innovative steel composite product ("SPS" sandwich plate system) to reprofile the existing concrete terraces. However, the upper levels provide far less accommodation for the everyday racegoer than was present in the former stand.

In March 2009 it was confirmed that the main sponsors of Ascot, William Hill would be ceasing their sponsorship deal, citing that the decision by the BBC to reduce live race coverage as the main reason in its decision making process.

In July 2009 Ascot Racecourse also hosted the third round of the UAE President's Cup.

Every year Royal Ascot is attended by Elizabeth II and other members of the British Royal Family such as The Prince of Wales, arriving each day in a horse-drawn carriage with the Royal procession taking place at the start of each race day and the raising of the Queen's Royal Standard. It is a major event in the British social calendar, and press coverage of the attendees and what they are wearing often exceeds coverage of the actual racing. There are three enclosures attended by guests on Royal Ascot week.

The Royal carriages depart after The Queen's arrival at the races

The royal procession began in 1825. King George IV drove up the centre of the course in front of the crowds, a tradition that continues to the present day.  

The Royal Enclosure is the most prestigious of the three enclosures, with recent visits from the Queen and Royal Family members. Access to the Royal Enclosure is restricted, with high security on the day. First-time applicants must apply to the Royal Enclosure Office and gain membership from someone who has attended the enclosure for at least four years. For existing badgeholders, an invitation is sent out by Her Majesty's Representative  to request badges. The badgeholder's name is written onto the badge and can be used only by that person; the colours of the badges vary each day for one-day applicants. Those in the Royal Enclosure have the options of fine dining and hospitality, and a selection of bars. The dress code is strictly enforced. For women, only a day dress with a hat is acceptable, with rules applying to the length and style of the dress. In addition, women must not show bare midriffs or shoulders. For men, black or grey morning dress with top hat is required.

Over 300,000 people make the annual visit to Berkshire during Royal Ascot week, making this Europe’s best-attended race meeting. There are eighteen group races on offer, with at least one Group One event on each of the five days. The Gold Cup is on Ladies' Day on the Thursday.

The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs (4,023 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.

It is Britain's most prestigious event for "stayers" – horses which specialise in racing over long distances. It is traditionally held on day three of the Royal Ascot meeting, which is known colloquially (but not officially) as Ladies' Day. Contrary to popular belief the actual title of the race does not include the word "Ascot". In 2016 it will be run as "the Gold Cup in Honour of The Queen's 90th Birthday"

The event established in 1807,[2] and it was originally open to horses aged three or older. The inaugural winner, Master Jackey, was awarded prize money of 100 guineas. The first race took place in the presence of King George III and Queen Charlotte.

The 1844 running was attended by Nicholas I of Russia, who was making a state visit to England. That year's winner was unnamed at the time of his victory, but he was given the name "The Emperor" in honour of the visiting monarch. In return Nicholas offered a new trophy for the race — the "Emperor's Plate" — and this became the title of the event for a short period. Its original name was restored after nine years, during the Crimean War.

The Gold Cup is the first leg of Britain's Stayers' Triple Crown, followed by the Goodwood Cup and the Doncaster Cup. The last horse to win all three races in the same year was Double Trigger in 1995.

The Gold Cup is one of three perpetual trophies at the Royal Ascot meeting, along with the Royal Hunt Cup and the Queen's Vase, which can be kept permanently by the winning owners. A number of horses have won it more than once, and the most successful is Yeats, who recorded his fourth victory in 2009.

Royal Ascot Ladies Day

Ladies Day is the highlight of the Royal Ascot meeting. Tens of thousands of horse racing fans pour into Ascot Racecourse to witness the running of the famous Group 1 Royal A scot Gold Cup which takes place amidst one of the fashion and cultural highlights of the year.

The combination of high stakes and high fashion precedes Ladies Day by hundreds of years. In the early days of racing at Ascot, the on-track action was watched mainly by the English nobility, who were treated to lavish banquets and dances once the day’s racing had come to a close.

The dress code in the Royal Enclosure is famously complex. Women are instructed that dresses should fall “just above the knee or longer” while straps must be “at least 2.5cm wide”.

Just when the third day of racing at the Royal Ascot meeting came to be known as Ladies Day is difficult to tell. Legend has it that the third day at the races was traditionally the most popular, and drew in the largest crowds, including a big proportion of female spectators drawn to the pageantry, style and elegance of the event.

It was around the time that the first Royal Ascot Gold Cup was run that the tradition of Royal Ascot Ladies Day took root. During this period Beau Brummel, a close friend of the Prince Regent, advised him that it would be appropriate for men to wear black suits and waistcoats along with white cravats.

Over time this new dress requirement evolved into the rule, requiring male attendees to wear full morning suits with top hats. Women were provided a little more flexibility of choice, so long as they wore a hat and their attire was deemed ‘suitable’ – which meant no thin shoulder straps on dresses and a prohibition on bared midriffs.

As the years passed, Royal Ascot Ladies Day evolved into something of an unofficial fashion contest, with ladies competing for the finest hats. The Royal Procession at 2pm on Ladies Day sets the tone for the occasion, with the Queen and other Royals donning their finest as an open carriage transports them across the Ascot turf.

Whilst the Queen’s attire tends to be relatively formal, this is not the case throughout the Royal Enclosure. Many female race-goers attempt to compensate for the strict Royal Ascot Ladies Day and Royal Enclosure dress code by sporting the most outrageous hats in a contest that has been likened by some to the “Oscars” of the hat-makers.

 While the opportunity to have a bet and maybe see some returns on it may be uppermost in the minds of racing enthusiasts at Ascot racing events, the day is all about fun and recreation and the environment at Ascot provides the perfect backdrop to enjoy the full day as well as each race. 

Arriving early on race day is recommended and the first action is to buy a racecard, which will detail all the times and runners of each race as well as maps of the course and other useful information. 

There is nothing quite like the thunder and thrill of a race underway and to take in the full experience, visitors can watch the horses warm in the Pre-Parade ring before getting a closer view in the Parade Ring itself before each race. At the end of the race winners and placed horses can be viewed within the winner's enclosure where trophies are also handed out. Placing a bet is of course an integral part of the enjoyment and there are many on-course betting shops and tote positions to choose from. Win or lose, a day at Ascot races promises to be an unforgettable social event.