The Royal Ascot, which this year takes place between Tuesday June 19 and Saturday, June 23, is the UK’s premier flat-racing event. Every year in mid-June, Ascot Racecourse brings together the best jockeys, horses, and trainers for five days of racing thrills (and as many days of punting pleasure).
Every day of the Royal Ascot event features one or more major race. On the first day, in fact, all three races are Group 1 events:
· The Queen Anne Stakes
· The King’s Stand Stakes
· The St James’s Palace Stakes (which is the day’s feature race)
Thursday, June 21 is Gold Cup Day, also known as Ladies Day, and it is a crowd favourite for two main reasons: fashion and the Gold Cup Race. From the very outset, the Royal Ascot is one big fashion show, but Gold Cup Day is when the styles – particularly the fabulous hats – reach the zenith of creativity and showiness. As for the Gold Cup race, it’s a riveting two-mile challenge that tests the heart of even the most worthy horse and jockey team.
Prize Money and Punting Money Break Records
Other important races are Wednesday’s Prince of Wales’ Stakes, Friday’s Coronation Stakes, and Saturday’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes, which is one of the most important sprints of the year. The Royal Ascot has one of the biggest prize funds in racing, and this year’s prize money will reach £5 million (£500,000 more than last year). These types of numbers make this year’s Royal Ascot more exciting than ever and, consequently, the amounts wagered will undoubtedly be record breaking, as well. Horse race betting is easy for those attending and even more convenient for those who bet on Royal Ascot races online. If online betting is your thing – checkout the ascot 2013 betting with Will Hill page. Just look over the pre-race (ante-post) odds on one of the leading sports betting sites (William Hill is always reliable and professional, for instance), do a little background check on the favourites (or the not-so-favourites, if you’re feeling daring), and make a wager. When race time rolls around you’ll be able to check the results; with a little luck, the horses will be running your way.
