It’s the greatest show on turf, the pinnacle of thoroughbred racing. Since 1711, Royal Ascot has been the world’s longest-running lawn party, featuring elegant dress, delicious food, and rivers of alcohol. It’s excess to the max, and England’s summer celebration returns Tuesday for five glorious days.
It’s where the elite meet, human and equine. Dozens of the best horses in training lure gentlemen in top hats and tails, accompanied by fashionably attired ladies sporting head-turning headgear. You can have fun just watching, but for horseplayers, the irresistible lure is the betting, and there’s nothing like the action there.
There are stakes carded from 5 furlongs to 2¾ miles over the pristine turf. These cavalry charges often include 32-horse fields that break up into three packs -- maybe 12 going down the far side, 10 up the middle, and the rest along the right side. There can be photo finishes between horses 25 yards apart. It’s wild.
“That’s the great thing about Royal Ascot,” said retired Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, an American who rode winners there. “The fields are very large and competitive and offer great value, just like the Breeders’ Cup. To me, this is the ultimate in world horse racing.”
Getting generous odds on a serious contender isn’t hard. I’ve attended four times, and among my favorite memories was a big score on an 8-1 favorite (not a typo) in the 32-runner Royal Hunt Cup. Last year, a tip on sportinglife.com led me to a 129-1 shot (also not a typo) who won by a nose. Ah, such golden moments.
For those who like to bet on horses, usracing.com will offer opportunities and guidance, starting with Tuesday’s opener. The mile Queen Anne (G1), named after the woman who originated Royal Ascot, is among four stakes offering a Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup bid (Mile) to the winner. Multiple-stakes winner Carl Spackler, recently transferred from Chad Brown to Australian trainer Ciaron Maher, is 20-1 in a field of 11.
The other “Win and You’re In” races are Tuesday’s 5-furlong King Charles III (G1), for the Sprint; Wednesday’s 1¼-mile Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1) for the Turf; and Thursday’s 5-furlong Norfolk Stakes (G2) for the Juvenile Turf Sprint.
Wesley Ward’s breakthrough at Royal Ascot motivated other Americans to come over. Ward became the first American trainer to win there in 2009, and of his 12 victories, eight were with 2-year-olds. Mark Casse (2016, champion mare Tepin) and George Weaver (2023, 2-year-old Crimson Advocate) are the only other U.S. winners.
“If other Americans could see how big Royal Ascot is, they would know it’s an honor to compete there,” Ward said. In 2019, he met Queen Elizabeth II, who invited him to the royal box to watch a race. “It was great,” Ward told me that day. “She’s so knowledgeable about breeding and racing history.”
The scene also dazzled Casse and Weaver. “My wife calls it the Kentucky Derby on steroids,” Casse told Gulfstream Park publicity. To Weaver, “It’s a really cool place to go.”
For the first time since 2012, Ward is skipping Ascot, but Weaver and Florida-based Patrick Biancone will be there. Weaver will run Crimson Advocate as well as 2-year-olds Sandal’s Song and Tough Critic; Biancone’s juvenile hope is Lennilu. Sandal’s Song, debut winner of a Gulfstream stakes, is 25-1 in the Norfolk’s early line, but his connections are dreaming big.
“George and his team have made this journey before, and they think this colt is a great candidate for the task ahead,” Case Clay, owner Wathnan’s U.S. racing adviser, told racingpost.com. “We’re really looking forward to testing him against the Europeans.”
