The Prince of Wales himself turned up for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday at Royal Ascot, standing in for his dad, the King, who was having a day off. The importance of the patronage of the royals for racing cannot be overstated, as Julian Muscat pointed out this week in the Racing Post:
‘The King has become cognisant of the allure of the royal silks. Their presence on Britain’s racecourses – and Royal Ascot in particular – acts like a magnet to hordes of foreign owners, especially affluent Middle Eastern patrons with royal connections of their own.
‘These owners make collective investments running into billions every year, not just on horses and training fees but on stud farms and all the ancillary costs required to service them. They own tens of thousands of acres of prime grazing land and stables, all of which brings a considerable annual income into Britain. The sheer scale of their spending is eyewatering. A deal of that would not happen were the royal silks to disappear.’
Charles is not as keen as his mother was on matters of the Turf and William even less so and whether the Prince of Wales turns up every day with Kate (who is nowhere near as engaged as Camilla is) to Royal Ascot when he is on the throne could prove more decisive than many think for horse racing in the future.
See you tomorrow when the highlight is the traditional week’s highlight, the Gold Cup.
A pleasure to be at Royal @Ascot for a thrilling afternoon of racing. Congratulations to Ryan Moore, Aidan O'Brien and of course Auguste Rodin on winning The Prince of Wales's Stakes! 🏇🏆 pic.twitter.com/Xm3ttTVWlk
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 19, 2024
Updated
Ain't Nobody does it better in the Windsor Castle (6.15pm)
Result:
1 Ain’t Nobody (J P Spencer) 5-1
2 Gabaldon (Emisael Jaramillo) 16-1
3 Aviation Time (D Tudhope) 28-1
27 ran
Non Runner: 14
Updated
