Ascot through the ages

With thousands of racegoers left disappointed that Royal Ascot won’t be open to the public this year, we take a look back at the history of the event

This month, I, as well as thousands of others, was looking forward to attending Royal Ascot, one of the highlights of the sporting calendar. Scheduled to take place from 16-20 June, it now won’t be able to go ahead as an event open to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. I will just have to don my extravagant hat and beautiful dress at home in celebration instead...

Jo Wales, Head of Events & Operations at Ascot Racecourse, says: “We will be reopening to the public as soon as it is safe, and no one can guess when that will be. Firstly though, in line with Government guidelines and recommendations, we’re planning to race behind closed doors with the minimum number of personnel we can manage while adhering to all necessary testing and social distancing to make that possible. There is a racing industry resumption group operating, which I am personally involved in, and the timings and logistics are being worked through.

“But we hope that once all the restrictions are lifted and as a nation, we are through the other side, we will be back to racing with customers and we are all very much looking forward to that day.

“Royal Ascot 2020, if we are allowed to go ahead, won’t be an event with crowds, but we are already thinking about how we can make Royal Ascot 2021 even better than ever before!”