Ascot Racing: History of Ascot Racecourse

About Ascot

History of Ascot Racecourse

There are few sporting venues that can match the rich heritage and history of Ascot Racecourse. Over the past 300 years Royal Ascot has established itself as a national institution and the centrepiece of the British social calendar as well as being the ultimate stage for the best racehorses in the world.

It was Queen Anne who first saw the potential for a racecourse at Ascot, which in those days was called East Cote. 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 first race meeting ever held at Ascot took place on Saturday 11 August 1711. Her Majesty’s Plate, worth 100 guineas and open to any horse, mare or gelding over the age of six, was the inaugural event. Each horse was required to carry a weight of 12st and seven runners took part.

This contest bore little resemblance to racing seen at Ascot today. The seven horses were all English Hunters, quite different to the speedy thoroughbreds that race on the flat now. The race consisted of three separate heats which were four miles long (each heat was about the length of the Grand National course), so the winner would have been a horse with tremendous stamina. Sadly, there is no record of the winner of the first Plate.

Today the tradition does not change – the Queen Anne Stakes continues to be run in memory of the monarch who founded the course nearly three centuries ago.

The racecourse was laid out by William Lowen, who was assisted by a team of helpers, William Erlybrown, a carpenter, Benjamin Cluchett, a painter, and John Grape, who prepared the paper work for racing. The first permanent building was erected in about 1794 by George Slingsby, a Windsor builder. It held 1,650 people and was used until 1838.

In 1813, Parliament passed an Act of Enclosure. This Act ensured that Ascot Heath, although the property of the Crown, would be kept and used as a racecourse for the public in the future. Racing at Ascot was now secure.

The precise origin of the Royal Meeting is unclear, it was an event that evolved perhaps, rather than was introduced at a specific time but the first four day meeting took place in 1768. Arguably, the meeting as we know it today started to take shape with the introduction of the Gold Cup in 1807. Royal Ascot was the only race meeting held at Ascot until 1939.

Horses storm up the Straight Mile.

Gold Cup day remains the feature race of the third day of Royal Ascot and is traditionally the busiest day of the week. It is colloquially known as “Ladies’ Day” as, in the formative years, it was the dominant day in terms of the racing, attracting the largest crowds and, it must be assumed from the emergence of the term “Ladies’ Day,” more ladies!

Although founded by a Queen and located on Crown property, the administration of Ascot has always been handled on behalf of the Crown by a representative appointed by the Monarch. The racecourse was run on behalf of the Sovereign by the Master of the Royal Buckhounds up until 1901 when Lord Churchill was appointed as His Majesty’s Representative. He was responsible for running the course and determining entrance to the Royal Enclosure.

In 1913, the Ascot Authority was established by an Act of Parliament. His Majesty’s Representative became Chairman of the Authority with the Clerk of the Course acting as Secretary. Today, as Ascot Authority (Holdings) Limited, Ascot retains both these positions, but with the additional appointment of trustees and non-executive directors, a Chief Executive and departmental directors, of which the Clerk of the Course, who is also Racing Director, is one.

Her Majesty The Queen reopens the Ascot. June 2006

Her Majesty The Queen reopens the Ascot. June 2006

Until 2001 Ascot Racecourse was a private company – no accounts published. In January 2002, as part of our preparation for the redevelopment of the Racecourse, Ascot incorporated. Ascot Racecourse Ltd. is now established as the organisation responsible for running the Racecourse.

Her Majesty The Queen, as an owner and breeder of racehorses takes a keen interest in the races. Over the years The Queen has had great success with her own horses. The Jockeys riding Her Majesty's horses can be distinguished because they wear The Queen's racing colours. These are the same as those of King Edward VII and George IV as Prince Regent - purple body with gold braid, scarlet sleeves and black velvet cap with gold fringe.

The Queen traditionally presents the Gold Cup, which, along with the Royal Hunt Cup and The Queen's Vase. These three trophies are made every year and presented to winners to keep. Challenge Trophies, many of which are antique, are presented to the winners of the remaining 27 races, and are returned after the year to be presented to the next winners.

The Queen & Ascot

The Queen's involvement with racing stretches back to before she came to the throne in 1952, with her first winner, jointly owned with her mother, coming in a National Hunt race with Monaveen at Fontwell in 1949. On the death of her father, The Queen inherited the Royal string of Flat racehorses, which at the time were mainly trained by Cecil Boyd-Rochfort and Noel Murless in Newmarket and it did not take long for her first great horse to come along.

Her first visit was at 19 years old in May 1945 less than two weeks after VE Day when Ascot staged its first fixture after the end of the Second World War in Europe, she has attended every year since.

Aureole, by the great Hyperion, was second to Pinza in the 1953 Derby and although a slightly moody character, he must rank as one of the Queen's best horses with victories in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot to his name. Aureole would also go on to be champion sire in the British Isles in 1960 and 1961.

The Queen's first Royal Ascot success came when Choir Boy landed the 1953 Royal Hunt Cup and he was one of the owner's 11 successes at the meeting during the 1950's. Other notable victories included the 1957 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Almeria, who went on to finish second in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, and Pall Mall who took in the 1957 New Stakes en route to victory in the 1958 2,000 Guineas and a successful career as a stallion.

This level of success at the highest class enabled The Queen to head the list of leading owners in Britain in both 1954 and 1957, when she enjoyed a fantastic season with a total of 30 winners.

The 1960's were a somewhat quieter time for the Royal thoroughbreds, although Aiming High landed the 1961 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot when ridden by Lester Piggott and Hopeful Venture won the 1968 Hardwicke Stakes.

But the Queen's racing fortunes entered another golden period in the 1970's, helped by the brilliant filly Highclere, trained by the late Major Dick Hern, who won the 1,000 Guineas and French Oaks of 1974 before coming second to Dahlia in the 1974 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot. Highclere would go on to be an influential broodmare with her most notable offspring being Height Of Fashion - the dam of Unfuwain, Nashwan and Nayef.

As Silver Jubilee celebrations were held throughout the land in 1977, a filly came along that would ensure that this would also be a year of tremendous success on the racetrack with Dunfermline winning both the Oaks and St Leger.

The Queen has not had a runner of Dunfermline's calibre since, although there have been several other useful performers, including Colour Sergeant in the 1992 Royal Hunt Cup, Phantom Gold in the 1995 Ribblesdale Stakes and her most recent Royal Ascot winner, Blueprint, in the 1999 Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes.

Her Majesty has had 19 Royal Ascot winners to date, with her most successful races being the Royal Hunt Cup and Ribblesdale Stakes, contests she has won three times.

Following the redevelopment at Ascot in 2004, Royal Ascot returned to its Berkshire home in June 2006 and held an extremely successful five day Royal Meeting. Her Majesty The Queen officially opened the racecourse on the opening day of Royal Ascot, Tuesday 20th June. The racecourse has undergone a major redevelopment programme, the largest of its type anywhere in Europe. To find out more, visit the Redevelopment section of our website for full details of the spectacular 20 month redevelopment process.

Ascot Racecourse Today

Ascot Racecourse closed in September 2004 for a major redevelopment, the largest of its type in Europe. Traditionally the racecourse has redeveloped every 50 years and this was to be no exception. Ascot Racecourse decided that this redevelopment was to be something truly spectacular taking Ascot as a sporting complex to a whole level and making Ascot the ultimate racing experience.

At a press conference in October 2005 Her Majesty’s Representative and Chairman of Ascot Racecourse, The Duke of Devonshire was proud to announce that the Royal Meeting would return to its Berkshire home in 2006 following an eighteen month, redevelopment programme.

The official opening of the racecourse took place on the first day of the Royal Meeting Tuesday 20th June 2006 with an opening speech from Her Majesty The Queen.

The focal point of the redevelopment is undoubtedly the new Grandstand itself. The distinctive design is defined by the spectacular parasol roof suspended on ‘structural trees’. The stand is flooded with natural light, using glass and aluminium materials, bringing the outside in as you walk through the impressive galleria.

The new Grandstand with its state-of-the-art facilities is second to none. The racecourse track has also been redeveloped and Ascot is proud to host racing in 2006 on a world class racing surface.

Ascot Racecourse looks forward to welcoming you.

For more information about the Ascot redevelopment programme, Click Here.