The Queen did not attend Royal Ascot last week, for the first time since her coronation 70 years ago, but 273,465 spectators did. Though they had to make do without the track’s owner leading the daily procession, most will have headed home with overwhelmingly positive memories of the first Royal meeting with a proper crowd since 2019.
The weather played a blinder with only the final hour or so on Saturday seeing any need for spectators to retreat from the lawns and take shelter in the stand. The track was also immaculate, with safe, watered good-to-firm ground providing an ideal surface for top-class racehorses to strut their stuff. The seven races-a-day format helped to ensure that every afternoon had at least one moment to keep racegoers coming back for more.
