Ascot is renowned for thoroughbred horse racing, it plays host to nine out of the 32 annual Group 1 horse races, in the UK. Established in 1711 the first race took place with Royalty cheering on the first ever winner. The race course is located within the shadow of Windsor Castle and has strong Royal connections.
The Ascot race course puts on 26 days of horse racing throughout the year. The majority of races are flat meetings (18 flat meets), between the months of May and including October. During the winter months, jump race meets are put on though the biggest event comes in June, The Gold Cup. The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run in July and are by far Ascots biggest and most prestigious horse race events.
The racecourse now accounts for a total of approximately 10% of all UK horse race goers, totalling 600,000 visitors a year. Ascot holds the record for being the first racecourse to reach the 500,000-people visitor mark.
