Plans to 'Future-Proof' Royal Ascot Underway

Crowds rose for the Royal Ascot meeting and ticket sales are already "ahead of the curve" for next year, but further improvements are planned for 2027. Nick Smith, director of racing and public affairs, said June 21 that the Ascot Racecourse aims to "future-proof" the main enclosure. Changes will be made from a position of strength and he reflected: "It was a vintage Royal Ascot on every front. Crowds were up every day and we ended up with around 295,000 people, about 7,000 more than last year, and hospitality was up throughout the site. "We're already selling tickets ahead of the curve for next year's royal meeting, which went on sale during the week." Assessing the increase in attendances, Smith said: "Festivals in general are very popular and Royal Ascot has the additional significant benefit of being a national and international event, so it has a very special appeal. "It's part of the British summer, with Wimbledon and the Lord's Test. We get more than 10,000 visitors from outside the U.K., plenty of people from Australia, America, and the Far East, and pretty much every postcode in the U.K. is represented too." But chief executive Felicity Barnard said that "improvements" were on the cards in a statement at the end of the meeting, and Smith expanded on plans. "We're always moving forward," he said. "We feel we've got the Royal Enclosure, Village Enclosure, and Windsor Enclosure pretty much spot on, and we have the Heath for more local residents, which works well. "But while the Queen Anne Enclosure—Tattersalls in old money—is far from unsatisfactory, as is borne out by three years of growth in ticket sales, we're aware it will need to improve to reach the same standard for its grade. "We're looking at everything—facilities, layout, all sorts of things. It's not on the back of bad feedback. Rather, we know that to future-proof in a really competitive market, that's the enclosure we need to look at more closely." Numbers were also up on course, with a record 634 runners in the 35 races. "The tightening of the handicap bands was interesting," said Smith. "Those races are so competitive, you're balloting out endless numbers. "I spoke to James McDonald and he said for a jockey there's no race meeting in the world like Royal Ascot to ride at, because it's extremely hard with all the idiosyncrasies of the different races and the huge field sizes." The Kiwi was part of a large human and equine international presence, finishing third on the Australian-trained Joliestar (AUS) in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (G1), which also featured horses trained in Japan, France, and Denmark, as well as Britain and Ireland. "That's what the meeting is about," said Smith. "The internationals were happy with their experience and they were all talking about coming back." Smith does not believe the 20-day whip ban Australian rider Joshua Parr received for overuse of the whip on King Charles III Stakes (G1) third Overpass (AUS) will be a deterrent and said: "It was just one of those things; you have to learn from your experience and that's what they'll do. It doesn't put anyone off; they'll move on from that." The draw was contentious, with a perceived bias towards those racing on the stands' side. "There is an advantage towards rails on most straight courses," said Smith. "And as festival meetings go on, there tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy; once they start coming down one side, the ground gets compacted and that's where they go. "But the watering was consistent. You saw on the final day nobody wanted anything to do with the rail, and the watering was exactly the same as the rest of the week. "There was a draw advantage at times, but I don't think it impacted on enjoyment and the feedback on the ground was fantastic." Clerk of the course Chris Stickels watered the track each night to replace moisture lost to evaporation, and Smith said: "We produced consistent good to firm, summer Flat racing ground at its best. "The round course was an almost perfect racing surface, which enabled Ombudsman to produce a definitive world-class performance in the Prince of Wales's Stakes."