Greg Wood's report from Royal Ascot
Enjoy Greg’s report on the final day of this year’s meeting.
So farewell then, Royal Ascot 2025. That’s the end of five days of sparkling action on and off the track. All the prizes have been handed out and the big winner is … Ascot. Crowds have gone up 5% year on year and I’ve never heard so much praise for the meeting as I have done this year. I went yesterday and have to say that the track is getting so much right. It’s been a sea of optimism in an ocean of despair overall for racing.
Part of its appeal lies in the traditions that they keep going. Like the Queen Alexandra Stakes, the final race at the meeting which was nearly lost back in the 1990s, and the bandstand signing at the end of the day which was only started in the 1970s by the wife of the then clerk of the course. Some were sniffy about it and now it’s integral to the meeting as I found out on Friday singing ‘Sweet Caroline’, ‘Cant Take My Eyes Off You’ and, of course, the socialist anthem Jerusalem, which is always part of the repertoire. Hope you managed to find a few winners and look forward to the next racing blog. Good luck with all your punting between now and then.
