The most notable Ascot wins

Today sees the start of Royal Ascot 2015, an event that oozes glitz and glamour, with queues of men and women dressed in princely style, donning top hats and fascinators, parting with their money at the totes and chancing their luck on the odds. The potential for winning the big bucks adds to the pulsating excitement of the races and occasion, especially if you’ve put your faith in an outsider, chosen on the colour of the jockey’s silk or the racehorse’s intriguing name – as many of us do.

Of course, luck roams only on the sidelines and in the grandstands – out on the course, skill and true ability reign. Horses and jockeys undergo extensive training – as any athlete does to hone their talent – and it tells. Horses build up a reputation before gracing the grass in Berkshire, favourites emerge from the field and anticipation avalanches pre-race. Much like we’ve come to expect that Usain Bolt will always cross the line first, or that Djokovic will triumph at Wimbledon, these favourites often prove testimony to their hype and gallop past the post in gold position. But the margins are tight – one erratic move, untimed break or wrong footing is all it takes to find your horse is out of the running. It’s what makes it so enthralling.

With this in mind, we’ve had a look back over the years at some of the most notable Ascot race wins…

FRANKEL – QUEEN ANNE STAKES 2012

Where better to start than with the greatest racehorse of all time? Although the firm favourite going into the race, as any unbeaten horse would justifiably be, Frankel put in arguably one of his greatest ever performances, sauntering to a breathtaking 11-length triumph.

FRANKIE DETTORI – BRITISH CHAMPIONS’ DAY 1996

There’s very little that Dettori hasn’t won during his illustrious career, but his most celebrated achievement is surely riding all 7 winners on British Champions’ Day at Ascot in 1996, emptying bookies across the country in the process. That’s not a bad day in the office!

ESTIMATE – GOLD CUP 2013

Going in as favourite, the victory may not have been unforeseen, but it was what the triumph symbolised that makes it such a notable entry to the archives of Royal Ascot. In 2013, the same year that Longines, the Swiss maker of luxury timepieces, became the official timing partners, the Queen’s horse Estimate – trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Ryan Moore – became the first horse owned by a reigning monarch to win the two-and-a-half-mile showpiece.

FACTS ABOUT ROYAL ASCOT

• 300,000 visitors descend on the racecourse over the five days
• It is the most valuable race meeting in Britain, with £5.5 million in prize money
• Viewed in over 200 countries
• During the five days, racegoers consume: 51,000 bottles of champagne, 160,000 glasses of Pimm’s, 131,000 pints of beer, 5,000 kilos of salmon, 2,900 lobsters

For more information on Royal Ascot’s Official Timing Partner, Longines, click here.

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