Dripping with British tradition, it is one of the biggest social events of the year with thousands of people flocking to the track to enjoy the occasion. This year, it will be especially poignant as it will be the first Royal Ascot since the Queen’s passing last September. The longest-reigning monarch’s love of the five-day meeting was matched only by that of her adoring public, as they lined the track to catch a glimpse of the Royal Procession making its way down the straight mile.
This year’s celebrations kick off, as ever, on Tuesday with three Group 1 races. The top milers go in the Queen Anne Stakes with Charlie Appleby’s Lockinge Stakes winner Modern Games going head-to-head with last year’s impressive Coronation Stake heroine Inspiral.
Royal Ascot – Tuesday
Tuesday 20th June 2023
Time Race Age Prize Fund Distance
02:30 PM The Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1)4+£750,000 One mile
03:05 PM The Coventry Stakes (Group 2)2£150,000 Six furlongs
03:40 PM The King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1)3+£600,000 Five furlongs
04:20 PM The St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1) 3 Colts £600,000 Old mile
05:00 PM The Ascot Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2) (0-100) 4+ £100,000 Two miles, four furlongs
05:35 PM The Wolferton Stakes (Listed) 4+ £110,000 One mile, two furlongs
06:10 PM The Copper Horse Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2) (0-105) 4+ £100,000 One Mile, Six Furlongs
See all race times HERE.
The action comes thick and fast. Fast is the right word as, after the two-year-olds compete in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes, the speedsters battle it out in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes. This five-furlong sprint is the quickest race of the week and this year’s race promises to be a cracker. Coolangatta will attempt to take this prestigious prize back to Australia, following in the hoofprints of last year’s breathtaking winner Nature Strip.
Throw in the clash of the 2000 Guineas winners from either side of the Irish Sea, Chaldean and Paddington, in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes, as well as some of the week’s best staying handicaps and it really is a day not to be missed.
The 2021 Derby hero Adayar runs in Wednesday’s feature with last year’s Irish Champion Stakes winner Luxembourg taking on the Godolphin star in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. The mile-and-a-quarter Group 1 is supported by a trio of Group 2 contests – the Queen Mary Stakes, the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes and the Queen’s Vase.
The Royal Hunt Cup, one of the great spectacles of the week with runners spread right across the course, also takes place on Wednesday. Ladies’ Day, on Thursday, is dominated by the Gold Cup. The two-and-a-half mile staying prize, is sure to be fiercely contested.
Last year’s St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov, Doncaster Cup hero Coltrane and unbeaten Courage Mon Ami are all expected to line up with 2021 Gold Cup victor Subjectivist.
Thursday’s supporting races include the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes and the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes. There are a couple of top-level races for three-year-olds on Friday. The sprinters go in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup, while the best fillies line up in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes over a mile.The meeting draws to a conclusion after five wonderful days on Saturday. The renamed Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, a Group 1 over six furlongs, is the highlight. The big handicap of the day is the Wokingham Stakes, while the 35th and final race of the week is the longest of the entire meeting, the Queen Alexandra Stakes. It promises to be a stunning week of the best racing you could possibly imagine at one of the world’s greatest racecourses. Royal Ascot is truly wonderful – make sure you enjoy every moment.
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