AscotHeathCourse guide

How a race unfolds on the round course

Take any race beyond a mile. The field runs downhill towards Swinley Bottom, the far corner of the triangle.

Then they turn right and the climb begins. It runs all the way to the winning post, 73 feet higher up. The home straight is only about 2½ furlongs, so the race is often decided by who is in the right place at the final bend.

That is why a horse who races handy, which means close to the leaders, has an edge on the round course. A hold-up horse, one who is ridden from the back, has to pass tired rivals on a short, rising straight.

How the straight course runs

Sprints and straight-mile races have no bends, so there is nowhere to save ground and nowhere to hide. At Royal Ascot the big handicaps on this course draw some of the largest fields of the year. A handicap is a race where better horses carry more weight to even things out, and our handicaps guide covers how the weights are set.

In fields that size the runners often split into two or three groups across the track. If the quick horses are all on one side, that group gets a tow and the other does not. So look at where the pace is drawn before you look at the stall number alone.

What the ground does

The going is the official word for how soft or firm the turf is. A climb is harder work on soft ground than on quick ground, so the hill counts for more when it rains. A horse who stays a mile and a half on good ground may not see it out when it turns soft.

Ascot races from spring to autumn on the Flat, then over jumps in winter. Royal Ascot is in June and British Champions Day is in October, so the same track can ride very differently. Check the going on the day.

How to read form from this track

On a racecard, a C next to a horse’s name means it has won at this course before. CD means it has won here over the same distance. Both are worth more at Ascot than at an easy track, because the hill finds horses out.

Read the course as well as the distance. A win on the straight mile tells you little about the Old Mile, which has a bend. The Newmarket Guineas are run on a straight mile too, while the St James’s Palace Stakes at Ascot goes round the turn. Our guide to race types and classes explains the grades.

The history in brief

Queen Anne founded the course in 1711, and the first meeting was held on 11 August that year. The Gold Cup, the big race for stayers, dates from 1807. A stayer is a horse who does best over long distances.

Jump racing arrived in 1965. The grandstand was rebuilt in the 2000s and the course reopened in June 2006. British Champions Day, the end-of-season Flat meeting, has been held here every October since 2011.

How to get a bet right here

Royal Ascot markets open long before the meeting. A bet placed that early is called ante-post, and under standard rules you lose your stake if the horse does not run.

On the day, check the each-way terms on your slip before you bet, because the number of places changes with the field size. You can also bet with the Tote, a pool bet where all stakes go into one pot and winners share it. The Placepot asks you to pick a placed horse in each of the first six races. Whatever you choose, set your stake before the first race and keep to it.