Royal Ascot 2024: What you need to know

The 2024 edition of one of horse racing’s most revered and iconic events is set to take place at the famous Ascot Racecourse in June.

Several iconic horse racing events are set to finally make their respective returns over the next few months, from the Grand National (11th to 13th April) to the Cheltenham Festival, which takes place over the course of four days, from Tuesday 12th March to Friday 15th March 2024.

These two racing festivals are to come, but another iconic event is on the horizon – the 2024 Royal Ascot.

Royal Ascot is a five-day spectacular of top-class racing at the equally famous and revered Ascot Racecourse. The action gets underway on Tuesday, 18th June, before finally coming to an end on Saturday, 22nd June 2024.

This event is, of course, known for the presence of the Royal Family every year, and this always draws in the crowds, just as the racing does. One year, more specifically in 2013, when the late Queen Elizabeth II became the first, and so far only, reigning British Monarch to have a winner at Royal Ascot. Her Majesty’s horse, Estimate, won the Ascot Gold Cup.

Royal Ascot is also well-known for having plenty of prize money on offer. On Day One, the races are worth a combined £2,565,000. Moving on to the second day, the prize money comes to an equally incredible £2,035,000. As for the third day, the 7 races that take place are collectively worth no less than £1,540,000.

Prize money on day four is worth £2,005,000, whilst on the fifth and final day on Saturday, 22nd June 2024 is worth £1,905,000 altogether.

We will now take a look at what races will be taking place each day and at what time each of them will start.

Tuesday 18th June 2024 (7 Races):

• The Queen Anne Stakes (14:30) – Straight Mile.
• The Coventry Stakes (15:05) – Six Furlongs.
• The King Charles III Stakes (15:45) – Five Furlongs.
• The St. James’s Palace Stakes (16:25) – Old Mile.
• The Ascot Stakes (17:05) – Two miles, Four Furlongs.
• The Wolferton Stakes (17:40) – One mile, Two Furlongs.
• The Copper Horse Stakes (18:15) – One mile, Six Furlongs.

Wednesday 19th June 2024 (7 Races):

• The Queen Mary Stakes (14:30) – Five Furlongs.
• The Queen’s Vase (15:05) – One Mile, Six Furlongs.
• The Duke of Cambridge Stakes (15:45) – Old Mile.
• The Prince of Wales’s Stakes (16:25) – One Mile, Two Furlongs.
• The Royal Hunt Cup (17:05) – Straight Mile.
• The Kensington Palace Stakes (17:40) – Straight Mile.
• The Windsor Castle Stakes (18:15) – Five Furlongs.

Thursday 20th June 2024 (7 Races):

• The Norfolk Stakes (14:30) – Five Furlongs.
• The King George V Stakes (15:05) – One Mile, Four Furlongs.
• The Ribblesdale Stakes (15:45) – One Mile, Four Furlongs.
• The Gold Cup (16:25) – Two Miles, Four Furlongs.
• The Britannia Stakes (17:05) – Straight Mile.
• The Hampton Court Stakes (17:40) – One Mile, Two Furlongs.
• The Buckingham Palace Stakes (18:15) – Seven Furlongs.

Friday 21st June 2024 (7 Races):

• The Albany Stakes (14:30) – Six Furlongs.
• The Commonwealth Cup (15:05) – Six Furlongs.
• The Coronation Stakes (15:45) – Round (Old) Mile.
• The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (16:25) – Old Mile, Four Furlongs.
• The Sandringham Stakes (17:05) – Straight Mile.
• The King Edward VII Stakes (17:40) – One Mile, Four Furlongs.
• The Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes (18:15) – Five Furlongs.

Saturday 22nd June 2024 (7 Races):

• The Chesham Stakes (14:30) – Seven Furlongs.
• The Hardwicke Stakes (15:05) – One Mile, Four Furlongs.
• The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (15:45) – Six Furlongs.
• The Jersey Stakes (16:25) – Seven Furlongs.
• The Wokingham Stakes (17:05) – Six Furlongs.
• The Golden Gates Stakes (17:40) – One Mile, Two Furlongs.
• The Queen Alexandra Stakes (18:15) – Two Miles, Six Furlongs.

With each day having 7 sensational races each, there will be a total of 35 races taking place across the five days of the 2024 Royal Ascot.

Most races at this event hold plenty of prestige, but it can be argued that the Ascot Gold Cup is the most reputable and prestigious of the lot. This is the race that the aforementioned Estimate won for Queen Elizabeth II back in 2013 with Ryan Moore as jockey.

The Ascot Gold Cup race itself has been taking place since 1807, where the winning horse was Master Jockey, where the jockey was awarded prize money of 100 guineas in the presence of King George III and Queen Charlotte.

History has been made on a number of occasions at Royal Ascot, and in 2009, Yeats became the first and so far only horse to have won the Ascot Gold Cup on four occasions. Yeats’ other three previous wins had come in 2006, 2007 and in 2008. Extraordinarily, all of these four wins were in successive years.

21 other horses have won the Ascot Gold Cup on more than one occasion, and they are: Anticipation (1816, 1819), Bizarre (1824, 1825), Touchstone (1836, 1837), The Emperor (1844, 1845), The Hero (1847, 1848), Fisherman (1858, 1859), Isonomy (1879, 1880), The White Knight (1907, 1908), Prince Palatine (1912, 1913), Invershin (1928, 1929), Trimdon (1931, 1932), Fighting Charlie (1965, 1966), Sagaro (1975, 1976, 1977), Le Moss (1979, 1980), Ardross (1981, 1982), Gildoran (1984, 1985), Sadeem (1988, 1989), Drum Taps (1992, 1993), Kayf Tara (1998, 2000), Royal Rebel (2001, 2002) and Stradivarius (2018, 2019, 2020).

As for jockeys, the honour of holding the record for the most wins to date in the Ascot Gold Cup History is held by the legendary Lester Piggott. He won this race on no less than 11 occasions with no less than 8 different horses.

Pigott’s wins came in: 1957 (Zarathustra), 1958 (Gladness), 1961 (Pandofell), 1963 (Twilight Alley), 1965 (Fighting Charlie), 1975, 1976, 1977 (Sagaro), 1979 (Le Moss), 1981 and 1982 (Ardross).

The leading trainer in the history of the Ascot Gold Cup is Aidan O’Brien, with 8 wins (Yeats – 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, Fame and Glory – 2011, Leading Light – 2014, Order of St George – 2016 and with Kyprios – 2022).

The most recent winner of the Ascot Gold Cup came in 2023, and it was Frankie Dettori who rod Courage Mon Ami to victory ahead of the likes of Oisin Murphy’s Coltrane and Joe Fanning’s Subjectivist, who had to settle for a second and third place finish respectively in the most recent running of this prestigious and historic race.

With excitement and anticipation growing rapidly ahead of the 2024 Royal Ascot getting underway at Ascot Racecourse, all eyes will be on what is sure to be five days of enthralling horse racing action from Tuesday, 18th to Saturday, 22nd June 2024.

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