2023 ROYAL ASCOT Festival
Royal Ascot is a highlight of both the British sporting summer and the royal calendar. Every June thousands of people including the Royal Family head to the famous racecourse to the west of London near Windsor.
Europe’s best-attended race meeting is as regal and royal as racing gets — and has pomp and pageantry bound up in its illustrious history. Over 300,000 visitors will attend during the five days of sporting drama.
Held in mid-June, it begins on Tuesday and culminates on Saturday with the latest edition of the QEII Jubilee Stakes, worth a whopping £561,000 to the winner.
Part of the reason why Royal Ascot is such an iconic event is because it can boast over 300 years’ worth of incredible history. Ascot racecourse was first founded by Queen Anne way back in 1711 when it hosted a race called Her Majesty’s Plate, which rewarded the winner with the princely sum of 100 guineas. Anne’s legacy is still seen, as Royal Ascot opens each year with the Queen Anne Stakes.
The first four-day festival was not held until 1768, during the reign of King George III. In 1793, the first permanent building at the race course was built by a local builder; it was used for the next fifty years. From the beginning, Royal Ascot was a favourite royal event.
The early 18th century also saw the inaugural running of Royal Ascot’s blue riband race. The Gold Cup, originally a long-distance race for horses over three years old, was run for the very first time in 1807. It has been arguably the most anticipated contest of the Royal Ascot meeting ever since then. It was for the viewing of that inaugural race, too, that Ascot’s Royal Enclosure first came into being as a place for King George III and his guests. King George and Queen Charlotte attended the first Gold Cup, and it is favourite among royal visitors.
The origin of two other of Royal Ascot’s major traditions, meanwhile, can be traced to the 1820s. 1823 saw the first mention of a Ladies’ Day at the meeting, and now on Ladies’ Day Ascot is as much about fashion and style as it is about racing. Two years later, in 1825, came the first Royal Procession which has grown to become another of Royal Ascot’s most beloved traditions.
The course at Ascot quickly established itself and by the early 19th century, was already considered not only a top sporting arena but also a place to be, and be seen. It was around that time that Beau Brummel, a close friend of the Prince Regent, essentially started the tradition of a formal dress code for racing at the course which still persists to this day.
There was drama galore in last year’s running of the Epsom Derby Festival, with a winner at big odds in the main race, and outstanding performances throughout the card.
Perhaps the story of the week was Adam Kirby, who won the Derby to claim his first Classic success. The jockey only got the ride late in the build-up to the race after his original mount, John Leeper, was claimed by Frankie Dettori.
Adayar was the surprise winner of the Derby. The 16-1 shot was available at a whopping 50-1 earlier in the morning of race day before some late money arrived to force his odds down at the off. Even more surprising was the runner-up Mojo Star who was priced at 150-1 a few hours before race time and was still 50-1 at the off. Bolshoi Ballet, the 11-8 favourite, found nothing when asked for an effort three out and finished a lowly seventh.
The most impressive performance of the week came from the Aidan O’Brien-trained Snowfall, with Frankie Dettori on board. She absolutely destroyed her rivals to win the Epsom Oaks by an incredible 16 lengths. This was the most emphatic win in the history of the Oaks, and the victory saw Dettori equal the record number of Classic wins on 21.
We’ve already introduced you to a couple of the favourites for the 2023 headline races, but that doesn’t mean you should stick to them. With 28 races over five days, Unibet is your home of betting options for this exciting week. As one of the biggest sporting events of the British summer, there’s plenty of action for punters here at Ascot.
We can recommend checking out our events lobby for the top markets and offers. As the festival draws near, there will be plenty of special offers that you can’t refuse. Promotional bets will maximise your money returns, especially for new customers. You’ll get some of the top odds on all Royal Ascot races right here at Unibet.
The Best Odds Guaranteed special offer is a great way to get the top odds on a horse. For example, if you back a 10/1 favourite before the race and he’s 15/1 by the time the race starts, if your selection wins, you get paid by the higher odds. This great promo comes among many others such as win, place, show promos as well as specific odds boosts on particular horses and races so you get the best out of your bets.
Unibet is the home of horse racing in the UK, discover and fantastic betting promotions and generous odds.
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