Royal Ascot is the greatest show on turf. The Berkshire amphitheatre welcomed 634 equine athletes across five days, over 290,000 impeccably turned-out guests and, of course, its highly sought-after daily dose of pageantry and royalty. The sum of those parts alone makes it vastly unique; not least from every other meeting in the British racing calendar, but from any other meeting in the world.
Therefore, keen to avoid making any unfair comparisons, I have compiled a collection of notes made as a 21-year-old attending a single day of the 2026 Royal Meeting as a regular racegoer. The aim is to keep performances on the track at bay as there have been plenty of expertly written pieces from Kevin Blake's Take to a fascinating look at draw bias by Sean Boyce on our dedicated Royal Ascot site. Instead, perhaps someone will be able to look at this and get a gist of what racing can make appealing for the 18-26-year-old age bracket.
I am a believer that the race day experience should begin before you negotiate the turnstiles, and it is true for many that the anticipation for the Royal Meeting builds at the point of outfit(s) assembly. Less in my case but walking up Station Hill with glimpses of the grandstand peeking through the tree-framed High Street did evoke real excitement for the day ahead.
When entering the gates, several months of meticulous planning is unveiled. The Ascot Racecourse teams clearly understand their young racegoers’ obsession – my own feeling - with photography as you would be hard-pressed to find an area of any enclosure that doesn’t present ideal photo opportunities. The number of posts and updated profile pictures on my social media feeds – and possibly on yours – featuring Royal Ascot signage has been off the scale in recent weeks, and it always is following the meeting.
A relatively new addition that adds real depth to this racecourse and has clear potential to do so for horse racing more generally, is the Total Performance Data-led infographics which are projected onto screens around the racecourse within minutes of horses crossing the line.
After watching the Royal Hunt Cup on the big screen in the parade ring area, I heard plenty of positive comments about the data displayed, even though nobody in proximity had backed the 28-1 winner, Rouge Diplomat. Partnerships between racecourses and trusted data providers like TPD, along with POVORA (formally JockeyCam) for mid-race rider POV footage, takes horse racing to a new dimension.
It’s an attractive dimension too; one that is more vital than supplementary for a sport like Formula 1, but if that formed the vision, I’d say it shows the value of assessing the horse racing product against other sports.
Although I mentioned my intention to keep this article away from the track, I was quickly reminded how much my age group like to align themselves with a team. This feeling was amplified compared to years gone by, with England’s 2026 World Cup debut match falling on the Wednesday (17th) a likely factor.
The roars from the stand when Ombudsman thundered down the outside to swallow up the pacemakers for his second Prince Of Wales’s Stakes would, dare I say it, put the Cheltenham roar to shame. Making up such noise will have been punters with the favourite as a ‘good thing’ in their patents whilst others will have made £11 profit from a £10 win single placed in the betting ring close enough to the off.
Though it is an immeasurable metric for an event of this scale, I would be interested to know a rough figure of younger racegoers that understand betting terms and the actual return their stake could fetch. It is simply unrealistic to think every returning customer will be doing so with a newfound interest in sports betting. However, it is very possible to gently push the ‘neutral’ to getting involved with betting on the day by opening a variety of activities and leisure spots several hours before the blue-ribbon event on the track.
This is always particularly well done here, as no matter what time people choose to arrive, there is still enough time to build up to the most valuable race of the day. The same applied on the Thursday, whereby the resounding rumbles of Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore’s record pushed Scandinavia into favouritism for the Gold Cup - off at a prime 4.15pm - as several racegoers across ages jumped on the Ballydoyle bandwagon.
The Gold Cup was the best Flat race I’ve ever watched trackside, and again, the reverberations from every enclosure as Moore and his game mount headed towards the winners’ enclosure would suggest the sport is in a stronger position (young engagement-wise) than we often give it credit for.
Royal Ascot is a British sporting institution. The Gold Cup itself dates to 1807 – Ascot’s oldest surviving race. This year, the track’s premier fixture attracted 294,541 visitors over five days, up on 286,541 last year. And whilst four horse-drawn carriages led by The King and Queen does not grace any other course alike, credit must go to the teams at Ascot Racecourse who keep their brand relevant and interesting enough to repeatedly attract global attention; a large proportion of which features the demographics that have other establishments scratching their heads.
My most pressing and actionable improvement points?
More seating in the Queen Anne Enclosure. Perhaps the shrewdest judges of all had ‘left wet towels on sun loungers’ in the grandstand concourse because about 15 minutes before the first, there wasn’t a spare seat in sight. Whilst the adrenaline of the racing doesn’t allow me to sit down once the card gets underway, heels are not part of my race day equation. I would say by the third time of walking between the parade ring and the race viewing areas, having more spaces to take respite would be much appreciated by the ladies.
I also think we are not far off needing proper event charging stations dotted around. Betting sites and photo/video apps are probably the most used device services by racegoers whilst on course, and both happen to be heavy on battery life. To avoid guests bringing awkward portable chargers or scouting the venue for plug outlets, it would be great to see the addition of fast charging stations in each enclosure map for Royal Ascot 2027. As far as I’m aware, large music festivals use solar-powered charging kiosks, so there would be a way to square this with the racecourse’s sustainability efforts.
Both suggestions feel easily implementable for organisers who get so much of the showpiece ‘right’. Probably like many fans, the thrill of National Hunt racing captured my imagination first, but I cannot deny how far clear Royal Ascot is in terms of delivering on expectations.
It is the culmination of everything with, at the very least, something for everyone.
