5 days ago
Royal Ascot 2025, explained: Dates, race times, course guide and how to watch
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 racecourse.
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.
When is Royal Ascot?
The first day of Royal Ascot is Tuesday, June 17 with the final day of racing on Saturday, June 21. The first race of each day should start at 2.30pm with the last race at 6.15pm, before racegoers shuffle back to Ascot train station or wrestle their way out of one of many car parks.
How do I watch it in the UK?
Every race of the meeting is being broadcast live on ITV1, 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 though, 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 were 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 along the straight in front of the grandstand.
For races of a mile, some are straight while others are a round mile from the old starting point near Swinley Bottom.
What are the racecards for the week?
(Group/class, distance, age, prize money)
Tuesday, June 17
2.30pm: Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1, straight 1m, four-year-olds and older, £750,000)
3.05pm: Coventry Stakes (Group 2, 6f, two-year-olds, £175,000)
3.40pm: King Charles III Stakes (Group 1, 5f, three-year-olds and older, £650,000)
4.20pm: St James's Palace Stakes (Group 1, round 1m, three-year-old colts, £650,000)
5pm: Ascot Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 2m, four-year-olds and older, £110,000)
5.35pm: Wolferton Stakes (Listed, 1m 2f, four-year-olds and older, £120,000)
6.10pm: Copper Horse Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 1m 6f, four-year-olds and older, £110,000)
Wednesday, June 18
2.30pm: Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2, 5f, two-year-old fillies, 5f, £150,000)
3.05pm: Queen's Vase (Group 2, 1m 6f, three-year-olds, £265,000)
3.40pm: Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2, round 1m, four-year-old and older fillies and mares, £225,000)
4.20pm: Prince Of Wales's Stakes (Group 1, 1m 2f, four-year-olds and older, £1,000,000)
5pm: Royal Hunt Cup (Heritage Handicap Class 2, straight 1m, three-year-old and older, £175,000)
5.35pm: Kensington Palace Stakes (Handicap Class 2, straight 1m, four-year-olds and older fillies and mares, £110,000)
6.10pm: Windsor Castle Stakes (Listed, 5f, two-year-olds, £110,000)
Thursday, June 19
2.30pm: Norfolk Stakes (Group 2, 5f, two-year-olds, £150,000)
3.05pm: King George V Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 1m 4f, three-year-olds, £110,000)
3.40pm: Ribblesdale Stakes (Group 2, 1m 4f, three-year-old fillies, £250,000)
4.20pm: Ascot Gold Cup (Group 1, 2m 4f, four-year-olds and older, £650,000)
5pm: Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap Class 2, straight 1m, three-year=old colts and geldings, £120,000)
5.35pm: Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3, 1m 2f, three-year-olds, £150,000)
6.10pm: Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 7f, three-year-olds and older, £110,000)
Friday, June 20
2.30pm: Albany Stakes (Group 3, 6f, two-year-old fillies, £125,000)
3.05pm: Commonwealth Cup (Group 1, 6f, three-year-old colts and fillies, £650,000)
3.40pm: Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 1m 4f, three-year-olds and older, £110,000)
4.20pm: Coronation Stakes (Group 1, round 1m, three-year-old fillies, £650,000)
5pm: Sandringham Stakes (Handicap Class 2, straight 1m, three-year-old fillies, £110,000)
5.35pm: King Edward VII Stakes (Group 2, 1m 4f, three-year-old colts and geldings, £250,000)
6.10pm: Palace Of Holyroodhouse (Handicap Class 2, 5f, three-year-olds, £110,000)
Saturday, June 21
2.30pm: Chesham Stakes (Listed, 7f, two-year-olds, £110,000)
3.05pm: Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2, 1m 4f, four-year-olds and older, £250,000)
3.40pm: Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Group 1, 6f, four-year-olds and older, £1,000,000)
4.20pm: Jersey Stakes (Group 3, 7f, three-year-olds, £150,000)
5pm: Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap Class 2, 6f, three-year-olds and older, £175,000)
5.35pm: Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 1m 2f, three-year-olds, £110,000)
6.10pm: Queen Alexandra Stakes (Conditional Class 2, 2m 6f, four-year-olds and older £110,000)
