MANCATION DESTINATION
ROYAL ASCOT – RACING WITH THE QUEEN
Attended by The Queen, Royal Ascot is one of the gentry’s social events of the year, as famous for who is wearing what, especially on Ladies Day, as the racing itself. Running from June 14 to 18 in 2016, racing highlights include the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and the Gold Cup . If your a race fan, it’s a racing carnival that must be experienced at least once in a lifetime, we’re here to nudge you in the right direction for the 2016 edition of the racing world’s most prestige week.
WHERE TO STAY
The Rubens at the Palace
rubenshotel.com
The Rubens at the Palace, situated at the prime location of Buckingham Palace, is a wondrous and surreal hotel, acclaimed for treating guests with utmost respect, attentiveness, and royalty. Located just moments from Victoria Station, guests will have unlimited options to choose from and the expedient location guarantees that guests are constantly exposed to the beauty of this city. Victoria station has a direct link to Ascot to make transportation to the races easy, whilst enjoying the comfort and tradition that the heart of London has to offer. The serenity and exceptional hospitality of this hotel will pleasantly surprise guests and the mix of historic décor and contemporary technology will ensure that guests experience an unforgettable stay.
Facing the Royal Mews, guests will awaken with a pleasant scenic view and a highly rejuvenating feeling. The range of rooms offered to guests are designed to personally cater towards each guests’ comfort and expectations. With 143 deluxe rooms, eight royal rooms, ten lavish suites, and two private and cozy apartments available, The Rubens at the Palace assures that guests are completely satisfied through their utmost attention to details and décor.
The Rubens at the Palace offers guests a huge selection of dining options including two restaurants, two bars, and a separate lounge. The wide range of availabilities ensures that any desired occasion is suitable. The Old Master’s Restaurant’s extensive and refined buffet will satisfy all types of cravings and guarantee a truly memorable dining experience. The sophisticated and formal Library Restaurant exclusively offers impressively refined classics with a range of exquisite and exotic wines. Guests can unwind by enjoy an exceptional and widely acclaimed afternoon tea made to the utmost perfection while overlooking the picturesque Royal Mews.
This sophisticated, wondrous, and elegant hotel will delightfully impress guests and the cordial and knowledgeable staffs will guarantee that guests experience a perfect and memorable stay with the Rubens at the Palace.
GUIDE TO ROYAL ASCOT
The Royal Ascot races are only a few weeks away, when horse racing’s finest from all over the world will come together in a bid to win the 6.58m prize money. The five day event, from 14 to 18th June 2016, takes place at Ascot in Berkshire, England, and features six world-class races, the finest fashion and plenty of schmoozing. Not to mention an appearance from The Queen.
Although you will be able to catch all the action live on TV, if you do long to experience the races it isn’t too late to pick up tickets.
Below we’ve got everything you’ll need to know about getting tickets, getting to the racecourse and what you should wear.
There are a number of ticketing outlets that still have Ascot tickets available across all five days.
Tickets are priced from £34 for admission to the Windsor enclosure to group tickets for up to 8 people for £235.
All children under 18 will get free admission on all race days as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult.
HOW TO GET TICKETS TO ROYAL ASCOT
Here’s a breakdown of the places to get your tickets online:
- Official Royal Ascot website
- viagogo
- StubHub
- eBay
- Sky tickets
- GetMeIn
When is it?
This year’s races kicks off on Tuesday 14 June and ends on 18 June.
Where is it?
The Ascot Racecourse is located in the pretty Berkshire countryside, not far from Windsor Great Park.
- Rail: There’s easy access to the course via regular trains from London Waterloo, Guilford and Reading via South West trains. You can book your rail tickets ahead of time via Trainline.com or Raileasy.co.uk.
- Car: The M4 and M3 offer direct routes towards Windsor via the A332 Windsor by-pass. On site car parking can be pre-booked and will cost from £30.
- Coach: National Express are running select services to and from Ascot throughout the five day festival. You can check prices and availability online.
Enclosures, race details and what to expect
The Ascot Races isn’t just a great opportunity to watch some first class horse-racing, but also the chance to socialise and enjoy the spectacle of the age-old tradition.
There are three main enclosures within the grounds including the Queen Ann and Windsor enclosures which are open to the public. There’s an opportunity for racegoers to pre-order a picnic to enjoy with friends whilst you’re there too, book ahead reservations are required..
The Calendar
Tuesday will see the start of group one races, including the Queen Ann Stake (named after its founder).
On Wednesday attendees will get to enjoy a slightly more relaxed atmosphere as the Prince of Wales Stakes gets underway.
The historic and prestigious Gold Cup will take place on Thursday, and it is also a chance to see everybody decked out in their finest dresses and hats.
Friday will welcome a traditional set of races including the Coronation stakes.
The finale on Saturday when the Diamond Jubilee stakes will take place is considered the one of the world’s greatest sprint races
Royal Ascot style guide – what to wear on race day
There’s no better excuse to get dressed up to the nines than if you’re heading to Ascot. So ditch the scruffy shoes and mis-matched suit in favour of top hats and elegant attire.
Here’s a quick breakdown of some important style dos and don’ts:
- Do wear a top hat
- Don’t dress for a wedding, keep it slick but stylish
- Do wear your finest black shoes.
- Don’t wear a white suit
- Do wear a traditional cut, the bow tie’s back
- Don’t hold back, bring your best!
BETTING GUIDE
TIP – Do your research, to avoid lines try place bets before you reach the track. Nothing worse than spending the entire day queuing up for bets, beers and bathrooms. There’s a william Hill outlet right next to victoria station, about 2 minute walk from the Rubens hotel.
Royal Ascot Handicaps
There are numerous handicaps at Royal Ascot, usually although not exclusively after each showpiece race each day. Most handicap favourites are horses who have won on their last start or have been performing impressively throughout the season. It’s not just punters that notice these performances, it’s also the handicapper. As a result, horses who have won or placed in the weeks or months leading up to Royal Ascot may be subject to a rise in the handicap. Although each horse is different, many of these horses end up being poor value at Royal Ascot with so much money placed on these particular horses. As the bookmakers shorten and shorten these popular horses, you can take advantage of the lengthening odds on horses who have good form from last year or have performed well at the track before. These horses may have avoided being raised in the handicap and as a result can remain well-handicapped on older form which isn’t spotted by the majority of punters. Remember, any handicap with 16 or more runners pays four places, so always look for the each-way value. Some firms may even pay fifth place!
Royal Ascot Two Year Old Races
As a general rule, horse racing trainers don’t have their horses fully tuned up to win on their debut, or even second run. Some trainers like to bring their horses along slowly, so don’t be put off if you see a horse with the form figures 41 or 21 and another horse with 11. If trainers have highlighted Royal Ascot with a certain horse, they may train them to peak on the day of the race. This could offer another value angle, given a lot of punters like to bet on unbeaten horses, even though it doesn’t mean a great deal in terms of form. Aidan O’Brien is a trainer who likes to bring his horses along slightly slower. His horse Waterloo Bridge had form figures of 6321 before winning a Group Two at Ascot at 12/1.
Royal Ascot Jockeys
Royal Ascot 2015 saw the rise of Moore-O-Mania. Now retained by O’Brien, Moore was landing more and more winners and as a result his rides became over bet. Found is one such example from Royal Ascot 2015 where his mount probably returned at a shorter price than it should have. This opens up plenty of betting angles for punters, both win and each way at much better odds away from the popular options.
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