• We have in operation since 1711 when Queen Anne rode out from Windsor Castle and declared this area of East Cote, the perfect place for her horses to run full stretch.
  
  
• The first Royal Meeting at Ascot took place in 1768. The meeting was extended to five days in 2002 for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.
  
  
• 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 275,000 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, slightly in excess of 1 mile 6 furlongs.
  
  
• 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 12 regular ground staff .
  
  
• Grass is cut to a regulation 4” height for flat racing and 5” for jump racing.
  
  
• The reservoirs on site in the middle of the track collect rain water from the grandstand roof and the Winkfield and Heath tunnels. This is a good example of our ‘green’ policies in operation.
  
  
• There are currently 70 full-time staff at Ascot Racecourse. The workforce increases by over 6,000 temporary staff during Royal Ascot.
  
  
• Ascot Racecourse is leased from the Crown Estate, 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.

• During Royal Ascot 2008, we entertained over 21,500 guests in our fine dining restaurants. To make this possible we had just under 3,000 service staff along with 60 managers and 330 chefs to prepare the food during the week
  
  
• At Royal Ascot 2008, the following quantities were consumed:
  
  

  60,000 bottles of Champagne
  8,300 gallons of Pimm
  16,000 gallons of beer
  40,000 scones
  1,500 lobsters
  8,000 spears of asparagus
  11,500 punets of strawberries




• Over 50,000 people used our hospitality facilities at Royal Ascot in 2008.
  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
  

Interesting catering statistics & facts:

• During the months of June and July we have a triple-decker temporary structure equipped with fully functioning lifts was which is erected in the Old Paddock to house The Carriages Restaurant & The Bessborough Suite. Up to 1,400 covers were  are provided each day in this premier facility.
  
  
• Ascot has 266 private boxes.
  
  
• The Royal Ascot Meadow can accommodate 2,000 people every day.
  
  
• The Royal Ascot Village situated on the heath 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.