Her Majesty The Queen has given her consent for Royal Ascot to consist of seven-race cards following the successful addition of races to the five-day meeting in 2020.
The enforced late start to the Flat season last year in Britain amid the coronavirus crisis saw the introduction of the Copper Horse S., the Palace of Holyroodhouse S. and the Golden Gates S., while the Buckingham Palace S. was reinstated. The meeting also included 'Silver' versions of the Royal Hunt Cup and the Wokingham S. which have not been retained for 2021 but, along with the four races named above, the 2021 meeting will also include the new Kensington Palace S., a 0-105 handicap over the Old Mile for fillies and mares aged four and up.
“A positive that we drew from Royal Ascot 2020 was that the additional races presented more opportunities to participate and that this had been widely welcomed by owners, trainers, breeders and jockeys. We are delighted to be able to make this change permanent,” said Sir Francis Brooke Bt., Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot.
In 2020, the juvenile races were staged later in the week in order to give 2-year-olds as much time as possible between their maiden outings and a Royal Ascot appearance. The meeting will return to its traditional running order for this year, with the newer races being run as the final contest on each day bar the Golden Gates S. This will be the penultimate race on the Saturday, with the marathon Queen Alexandra S. bringing the curtain down on the meeting as usual. Royal Ascot will open with the G1 Queen Anne S. On Tuesday, June 15.
“The concept of extended cards last year was well received, and we are very pleased to be able to offer additional opportunities to the horsemen community, the public, broadcasters and media,” said Nick Smith, Ascot's Director of Racing and Public Affairs.
“At this time, more than ever, the increased opportunity to win prize-money and to generate more levy and domestic and overseas betting income is crucial. Following consultation with the BHA, we decided to remove the two reserve races and bring in another high-quality handicap, as we are actually reducing the number of races run by one from last year, where eight races were staged on the Saturday. It occurred to us that the Old (round) Mile course is only used twice during Royal Ascot and another race on this track would add to the variety on offer.”
He continued, “Last year's extended cards were only possible by reducing some field sizes slightly, and because no overnight stabling was allowed under Covid-19 protocols. In order that field sizes can go up to their maximums again and with overnight stabling extremely important, we have commissioned extra temporary stabling to be built to the required high BHA standards.”
Prize-money levels for Royal Ascot 2021 will be confirmed in advance of the early-closing races in April. The full running order is as follows:
TUESDAY, JUNE 15
The Queen Anne S. (Group 1), 4yo+, 1m (straight)
The Coventry S. (Group 2), 2yo, 6f
The King's Stand S. (Group 1), 3yo+, 5f
The St James's Palace S. (Group 1), 3yo C, Old Mile (round)
The Ascot S. (Handicap), 4yo+, 2m4f
The Wolferton S. (Listed), 4yo+, 1m2f
The Copper Horse S. (Handicap), 4yo+, 1m6f
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16
The Queen Mary S. (Group 2), 2yo F, 5f
The Queen's Vase (Group 2), 3yo, 1m6f
The Duke of Cambridge S. (Group 2), 4yo+ FM, 1m (straight)
The Prince Of Wales's S. (Group 1) 4+ One mile, two furlongs
The Royal Hunt Cup (Heritage Handicap) 3+ One mile (straight)
The Windsor Castle S. (Listed) 2 Five furlongs
The Kensington Palace S. (Handicap) 4+ FM Old Mile (round)
THURSDAY, JUNE 17
The Norfolk S. (Group 2), 2yo, 5f
The Hampton Court S. (Group 3), 3yo, 1m2f
The Ribblesdale S. (Group 2), 3yo F, 1m4f
The Gold Cup (Group 1), 4yo+, 2m4f
The Britannia S. (Heritage Handicap), 3yo CG, 1m (straight)
The King George V S. (Handicap), 3yo, 1m4f
The Buckingham Palace S. (Handicap), 3yo+, 7f
FRIDAY, JUNE 18
The Albany S. (Group 3), 2yo F, 6f
The King Edward VII S. (Group 2), 3yo CG, 1m4f
The Commonwealth Cup (Group 1) 3yo CF, 6f
The Coronation S. (Group 1), 3yo F Old Mile (round)
The Sandringham S. (Handicap), 3yo F, 1m (straight)
The Duke of Edinburgh S. (Handicap), 3yo+, 1m4f
The Palace of Holyroodhouse S. (Handicap), 3yo, 5f
SATURDAY, June 19
The Chesham S. (Listed), 2yo, 7f
The Jersey S. (Group 3), 3yo, 7f
The Hardwicke S. (Group 2), 4yo+, 1m4f
The Diamond Jubilee S. (Group 1), 4yo+, 6f
The Wokingham S. (Heritage Handicap), 3yo+, 6f
The Golden Gates S. (Handicap), 3yo, 1m2f
The Queen Alexandra S. (Conditions), 4yo+, 2m6f
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