• Ascot Racecourse is visited by over 500,000 racegoers a year, accounting for 10% of all UK racegoers.  Ascot was the first racecourse in Europe to reach the 500,000 racegoer milestone in December 2001.
  
  
• Royal Ascot is Britain’s most popular race meeting, welcoming over 306,000 visitors over the five days of Royal Ascot.
  
  
• Royal Ascot is the most valuable race meeting in Europe with £3.5 million in prize money on offer in 2006, featuring a Group One race on each of the five days and seventeen group races in total.
  
  
• There are two tracks – Flat, Chase and Hurdle (first jump fixture in 1965), allowing us to race throughout the year with both flat & jump meetings.
  
  
• It is a Right handed course, 1 mile 7 furlongs in circumference.
  
  
• Famed for being a tough course, especially over fences – 73 foot climb from the lowest to highest point (Swinley Bottom up to the Winning Post)
  
  
• The Racecourse covers 179 acres, plus exterior car / coach parks.
  
  
• The ground is looked after impeccably by the Ground staff .
  
  
• Grass is cut to a regulation 5” height, watered by reservoir in centre of course.
  
  
• There are currently 140 full-time staff at Ascot increasing to 6,000+ during the Royal Meeting (including Tote and Hospitality staff).
  
  
• Ascot Racecourse is run on green belt land leased from the Crown Estate (with 40 years left to run).
  
  
• Ascot Racecourse is located in the largest wooded area south of the Peak District, adjacent to Windsor Great Park.
  
  
• Ascot’s facilities are available for hire throughout the year for a variety of different purposes, including conferences, banqueting, exhibitions, diner dances, product launches and weddings.
  

Food & Drink

• Sodexho Prestige, working under the banner of Ascot Hospitality with Racing Director, David Johnson at the helm, has been the sole catering contractor at Ascot since 1998.

• More than 4,000 casual staff, 146 managers and 170 chefs, led by Steve Golding, will prepare up to 11,500 hospitality covers per day at Royal Ascot this year, working from 36 satellite kitchens.

• At Royal Ascot 2006, the following quantities were consumed:
  
  185,000 bottles of Champagne
  176,000 pints of beer
  15,000 bottles of wine
  11,000 lobsters
  4.5 tonnes of beef
  100,000 scones
  
  
• 58,050 people used our hospitality facilities at Royal Ascot in 2006.
  This was made up from the following:
  
  Hospitality Packages had 21,500 covers
  Clubs including Whites, Turf and the Royal Ascot Racing Club had 3,910 covers
  Private Dining facilities had 1,870 covers
  Our seven main restaurants serviced 12,650 covers
  Boxes contained 18,120 covers
  
  
• 120,000 pieces of tableware were purchased for Royal Ascot 2006.

Interesting catering statistics & facts:

• For the third year, following resounding success, a triple-decker temporary structure equipped with fully functioning lifts was erected in the Old Paddock to house The Carriages Restaurant & The Bessborough Suite. Up to 1,400 covers were provided each day in this premier facility.
  
  
• Ascot has 263 private boxes.
  
  
• The Royal Ascot Meadow can accommodate 2,000 people every day.
  
  
• The Royal Ascot Village on the jumps track can accommodate 1,400 people
  
  
• There are 7 restaurants within the new Grandstand.
  
  
• There are 39 kitchens operational for Royal Ascot with 25 specific to the new Grandstand, plus finishing kitchens, one for every two boxes.