Royal Ascot 2025: Dates, course guide, tickets and how to watch

Telegraph

5 hours ago

Royal Ascot is British Flat racing's most prestigious event and one of the highlights of the summer social season, with 35 races run over five days at the Berkshire course.
Aside from the sport, which features eight Group One races such as the Gold Cup, St James's Palace Stakes and Commonwealth Cup, it is a festival of fashion, hospitality and Royal patronage.
Last year, the King attended all five days bar Wednesday while the Queen was there for the entire showpiece.
Royal Ascot is one of racing's most lucrative meetings with more than £10 million in prize money up for grabs. The two biggest prize pots of the week come in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
Click here for tips for every race on Wednesday (day two).
Skip to:
When is Royal Ascot?
The first day of Royal Ascot is tomorrow (Tuesday, June 17) with the final day of racing on Saturday, June 21. The first race of each day starts at 2.30pm with the last race at 6.10pm, before racegoers shuffle back to Ascot train station, wrestle their way out of one of many car parks – or enjoy a post-race picnic and a more leisurely getaway.
How do I watch it in the UK?
Every race of the meeting is being broadcast live on ITV, with coverage also available on Sky Sports Racing for subscribers.
How do I watch in the US?
Assisted by racing anchor Nick Luck, NBC's streaming service Peacock offers full coverage of the meeting, as will betting-orientated channel FanDuelTV.
How can I buy tickets?
Tickets can be booked via the Royal Ascot website. If you want access to the more exclusive Royal Enclosure, though, you will need to be a member or a member's guest. Applicants for membership need to be sponsored by two current members as well as pay a £100 joining fee. Members can apply for Royal Enclosure badges from January each year.
There are still tickets on general sale, ranging from £35 for Tuesday access to the Windsor Enclosure to £99 in the Queen Anne Enclosure. Prices rise slightly on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On those final three days, there is also the middle-tier option of the Village Enclosure, where attendees can enjoy a post-racing concert until 9pm.
Racegoers can also choose to purchase a 'party package' for up to six people, with £116 per person for the Queen Anne Enclosure on Tuesday including two drinks tokens and a race programme.
For those who want to take the weight off their feet, there are also a range of 'ticket enhancements' available, such as booking picnic tables in the Queen Anne or access to the Terrace Club. Demand is high for the extra comfort.
Course guide
Horses have run at Ascot since 1711, when Queen Anne decided the heathland was ideal for 'horses to gallop at full stretch' while out riding. That August, 100 guineas was on offer for the winner of Her Majesty's Plate, open to any horse over the age of six. Remarkably, the race consisted of three heats of four miles, so it is fair to say it was not a test of speed.
Today, races at the Royal meeting are run on a mixture of the round course and the straight. The round course is a 14-furlong right-handed track, with a relatively short run-in of just two-and-a-half furlongs meaning it can be difficult to win from off the pace.
The shorter races, such as the six-furlong Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, are run on the straight in front of the grandstand.
For races of a mile, some are on the straight course while others are a round mile from the old starting point near Swinley Bottom.