Royal Ascot is arguably the most prestigious fixture on the flat racing calendar, held over five days in mid to late June each year. Ascot’s Royal connections date back to 1711, when Queen Anne founded the course which is just six miles from Windsor Castle.
Each day of the meeting at 2pm there is a royal procession which sees the Royal Family travel along the straight mile on the course in horse drawn carriages in front of the watching crowd.
Amongst all the pomp and pageantry there are a total of 35 races, seven on each of the five days. Included in that number are eight Group 1 races, with at least one top level contest each day. The total prize money for Royal Ascot is over £10 million with individual race prize funds ranging from £110,000 to £1 million.
Tuesday 17th July 2025
The Royal meeting begins in style on Tuesday with the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes over 1m, followed by the Group 2 Coventry Stakes over 6f. The third race is the King Charles III Stakes, a Group 1 sprint over five furlongs, with another Group 1, the 1m St James’s Palace Stakes as race four.
Day one closes with the Ascot Stakes, a handicap over 2m 4f, the Listed Wolferton Stakes and the Copper Horse Stakes handicap.
- 2:30pm: Queen Anne Stakes
Group 1, 1m, 4yo+, £793,625 - 3:05pm: Coventry Stakes
Group 2, 6f, 2yo, £175,000 - 3:40pm: King Charles III Stakes
Group 1, 5f, 3yo+, £725,750 - 4:20pm: St James’s Palace Stakes
Group 1, 1m, 3yo, £650,000 - 5:00pm: Ascot Stakes
Class 2, 2m4f, 4yo+, £110,000 - 5:35pm: Wolferton Stakes
Listed, 1m2f, 4yo+, £120,000 - 6:10: Copper Horse Stakes
Class 2, 1m6f, 4yo+, £110,000
Wednesday 18th July 2025
Day two begins with a three Group 2 races, the first of which is a sprint over 5f, the Queen Mary Stakes. This is followed by the Queen’s Vase over the staying distance of 1m6f and the 1m Duke Of Cambridge Stakes.
Race four on Wednesday is one of the key races of the meeting, the £1m Prince Of Wales’s Stakes which is run over 1m2f. The remaining races are the Royal Hunt Cup, the Kensington Palace Stakes and the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes.
- 2:30pm: Queen Mary Stakes
Group 2, 5f, 2yo, £150,000 - 3:05pm: Queen’s Vase
Group 2, 1m6f, 3yo, £265,000 - 3:40pm: Duke Of Cambridge Stakes
Group 2, 1m, 4yo+, £225,000 - 4:20pm: Prince Of Wales’s Stakes
Group 1, 1m2f, 4yo+, £1,057,500 - 5:00pm: Royal Hunt Cup
Class 2, 1m, 3yo+, £175,000 - 5:35pm: Kensington Palace Stakes
Class 2, 1m, 4yo+, £110,000 - 6:10: Windsor Castle Stakes
Listed, 5f, 2yo, £110,000
Thursday 19th July 2025, Ladies Day
Ladies Day starts with the 5f Group 2 Norfolk Stakes which is followed by the King George V Stakes handicap and a second Group 2 in the 1m4f Ribblesdale Stakes.
The hugely popular Ascot Gold Cup is race number four on the Thursday, which is a Group 1 over 2m4f and part of the Stayers’ Triple Crown. Following the Gold Cup are the Britannia Stakes, the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes and the Buckingham Palace Stakes.
- 2:30pm: Norfolk Stakes
Group 2, 5f, 2yo, £150,000 - 3:05pm: King George V Stakes
Class 2, 1m4f, 3yo, £110,000 - 3:40pm: Ribblesdale Stakes
Group 2, 1m4f, 3yo, £250,000 - 4:20pm: Gold Cup
Group 1, 2m4f, 4yo+, £650,000 - 5:00pm: Britannia Stakes
Class 2, 1m, 3yo, £120,000 - 5:35pm: Hampton Court Stakes
Group 3, 1m2f, 3yo, £150,000 - 6:10: Buckingham Palace Stakes
Class 2, 7f, 3yo+, £110,000
Friday 20th July 2025
Friday of Royal Ascot begins with the 6f Group 3 Albany Stakes before the first of two Group 1 races on the day, the Commonwealth Cup, which is also over 6f.
The Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes is next before the second Group 1, the 1m Coronation Stakes. Day four concludes with the Sandringham Stakes, the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes over 1m4f and finally the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes.
- 2:30pm: Albany Stakes
Group 3, 6f, 2yo, £125,000 - 3:05pm: Commonwealth Cup
Group 1, 6f, 3yo, £725,750 - 3:40pm: Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes
Class 2, 1m4f, 3yo+, £110,000 - 4:20pm: Coronation Stakes
Group 1, 1m, 3yo, £725,750 - 5:00pm: Sandringham Stakes
Class 2, 1m, 3yo, £110,000 - 5:35pm: King Edward VII Stakes
Group 2, 1m4f, 3yo, £250,000 - 6:10: Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes
Class 2, 5f, 3yo, £110,000
Saturday 21st July 2025
The final day starts with the Listed Chesham Stakes, ahead of the Group 2 1m4f Hardwicke Stakes. The Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes over 6f follows which is traditionally one of the most valuable races of the week with a prize fund of £1m.
Rounding of the meeting is the Group 3 Jersey Stakes, the Wokingham Stakes, the Golden Gate Stakes and finally the marathon Queen Alexandra Stakes over 2m5½f.
- 2:30pm: Chesham Stakes
Listed, 7f, 2yo, £110,000 - 3:05pm: Hardwicke Stakes
Group 2, 1m4f, 4yo+, £250,000 - 3:40pm: Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes
Group 1, 6f, 4yo+, £1,000,000 - 4:20pm: Jersey Stakes
Group 3, 7f, 3yo, £150,000 - 5:00pm: Wokingham Stakes
Class 2, 6f, 3yo+, £175,000 - 5:35pm: Golden Gates Stakes
Class 2, 1m2f, 3yo, £110,000 - 6:10: Queen Alexandra Stakes
Class 2, 2m5½f, 4yo+, £110,000
