After a year‘s break for a £200 million refurbishment, Ascot turns Royal again this week. The Queen will open the new racecourse at 1.40pm on Tuesday. Here‘s ten top Ascot facts
1 What to wear? Woe betide anyone forgetting the rigid dress code, dating back to the days of Beau Brummell. It’s toppers and morning dress in the Royal Enclosure, suit and tie in the Grandstand where ‘Ladies are required to dress in a manner appropriate to a smart occasion. Many wear hats, although this is not obligatory.’ If they didn’t, why would the BBC be sending Kate Silverton to check ’em out?
2 Ascot’s first ever race took place on 11 August, 1711, with each horse carrying a weight of 12st. The race consisted of three separate heats, each of four miles (about the same as the Grand National), so the winner – name sadly unknown – would have been a mighty strong beast.
3 The royal procession began in 1825. King George IV drove up the centre of the course in front of the crowds, a tradition that continues to the present day.
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