Royal Ascot will take place from Tuesday 19th to Saturday 23rd June 2012. There are few sporting venues that can match the rich heritage and history of Ascot Racecourse with almost 250 years as a centrepiece of the British social calendar and stage to the best racehorses in the world.The quality of the horseracing at Royal Ascot is unrivalled, with nearly £4 million in prize money on offer and a total of eighteen ‘Group’ races over the five days.
The Royal Ascot was originally founded by Queen Anne in 1711. The 2012 Royal Ascot Meeting celebrations will commence at 2pm each day as Her Majesty the Queen arrives in her horse drawn landaus, with superb racing action from 2.30pm onwards. There will be seven Group One races over the five days. After the racing commences there will be traditional singing around the Bandstand in Grandstand.
Racing highlights of Royal Ascot include the Golden Jubilee Stakes and the Gold Cup. This year the Golden Jubilee Stakes race will be renamed the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in honour of Her Majesty the Queen who is celebrating 60 years in reign and promises to be, one of the most social and colourful occasions on the 2012 British sporting calendar. The three major days of this year Royal Ascot meeting will be the Gold Cup on Thursday, the Coronation Stakes on Friday and Saturday’s fantastic Finale Day. This outstanding occasion is one not to be missed. It will be all about top-quality horse racing and the most glamerous fashion.
Overview of Events
Each day The Royal Procession will make its way from the Golden Gates, along the racecourse and into the Parade Ring from 2.00pm each afternoon. The first race of six each day is at 2.30pm and the last race is at 5.35pm.
Tuesday 19th June - The opening day of what is sure to be a spectacular Royal Meeting gets off to a flying start with three Group 1 races, the Queen Anne Stakes, the King’s Stand Stakes, the first British leg of the Global Sprint Challenge and the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Wednesday 20th June - Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, arguably the most important race at the Royal Meeting will take place on Wednesday with £400,000 prize money on offer. Also on the cards are the Group 2 Windsor Forest Stakes and the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes.
Thursday 21st June - Ladies’ Day highlight is the Group 1 Gold Cup. Style and fashion with be the main taking point of Thursdays meeting with designer creations and millinery masterpieces and to commemorate 300 years of racing, the Hampton Court Stakes has been renamed the Tercentenary Stakes.
Friday 22nd June - The feature race on Friday is the Coronation Stakes; also on the card is the King Edward VII Stakes, colloquially called the ‘Ascot Derby.
Saturday 23rd June - The final day of the Royal Meeting features one of the worlds most important and international races, the Golden Jubilee Stakes, renamed as the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in 2012 to mark Her Majesty the Queen's important milestone. The race is also the second British leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.