Royal Ascot to feature additional races for 2020 event
Royal Ascot is the highlight of the flat racing season every June with its star-studded races and the 2020 event will be even more exciting than in previous years as six new races have been added to the prestigious card. The additional races will make up for the lack of race festivals held in the spring and Royal Ascot best betting sites offer racing fans the chance to get tips and bonuses in the lead up to each race.
The addition of six new horse races is not the only revision to the horse racing festival. There has been an alteration to the festival’s running order and earlier start times for the races. Royal Ascot will run in its usual place in the horse racing calendar from June 16 to June 20. Despite being held in its traditional spot on the horse racing fixtures list, no fans will be in attendance and all races will be held behind closed doors.
The British government is expected to give sporting events the go ahead to be held after June 1. Royal Ascot directors are hoping for the best but could be forced to scramble if the date is altered.
Six new races to race card
The biggest change to their year’s event is the addition of the six new races. The five-day horse racing festival will now have a total of 36 races. Tuesday through Friday will see seven races contested at Royal Ascot while Saturday will have eight horse races run. Royal Ascot will welcome back the 7f Buckingham Palace Handicap to its list of events. The race will kick off the horse racing festival and will replace the Queen Anne Stakes as the Royal Ascot opener.
The 1m6f Copper Horse Handicap for four-year-olds and up, the 1m2f Golden Gates Handicap for three-year-olds and the 5f Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap for three-year-olds will all be added for the 2020 edition of Royal Ascot for one time only. Meanwhile, consolation races for the Royal Hunt Cup and Wokingham will also feature at Royal Ascot.
The final day of Royal Ascot will be headlined by the St James’s Palace and Coronation Stakes. The races would typically be held on Tuesday and Friday, respectively, but with the delay to the flat horse racing season, they will be moved to create a better balance following the Guineas race meeting.
Royal Ascot 2020 will be run behind closed doors with precautions taken to ensure the safety of those competing and working at the racetrack. The 2019 edition of the horse racing festival attracted 290,000 spectators. This year’s event would have welcomed a similar number of racegoers had circumstances been different. The British government must still make an official decision on whether Royal Ascot can go ahead. If it does, it would be one of the first major sporting events and sports in the United Kingdom to return from hiatus.
Royal Ascot Schedule
Tuesday
Buckingham Palace Handicap (7f, 3yo+)
Queen Anne Stakes (1m, Group 1, 4yo+)
Ribblesdale Stakes (1m4f, Group 2, 3yo fillies)
King Edward VII Stakes (1m4f, Group 2, 3yo colts & geldings)
King’s Stand Stakes (5f, Group 1, 3yo+)
Duke of Cambridge Stakes (1m, Group 2, 4yo+ fillies and mares)
Ascot Stakes Handicap (2m4f, 4yo+)
Wednesday
Silver Royal Hunt Cup Handicap (1m, 3yo+)
Hampton Court Stakes (1m2f, Group 3, 3yo)
King George V Handicap (1m4f, 3yo)
Prince of Wales’s Stakes (1m2f, Group 1, 4yo+)
Royal Hunt Cup Handicap (1m, 3yo+)
Windsor Castle Stakes (5f, Listed, 2yo)
Copper Horse Handicap (1m6f, 4yo+)
Thursday
Golden Gates Handicap (1m2f, 3yo)
Wolferton Stakes (1m2f, Listed, 4yo+)
Jersey Stakes (7f, Group 3, 3yo)
Chesham Stakes (7f, Listed, 2yo)
Gold Cup (2m4f, Group 1, 4yo+)
Britannia Handicap (1m, 3yo colts & geldings)
Sandringham Handicap (1m, 3yo, fillies)
Friday
Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap (5f, 3yo)
Albany Stakes (6f, Group 3, 2yo fillies)
Norfolk Stakes (5f, Group 2, 2yo)
Hardwicke Stakes (1m4f, Group 2, 4yo+)
Commonwealth Cup (6f, Group 1, 3yo colts & fillies)
Queen’s Vase (1m6f, Group 2, 3yo)
Duke of Edinburgh Handicap (1m4f, 3yo+)
Saturday
Silver Wokingham Handicap (6f, 3yo+)
Queen Mary Stakes (5f, Group 2, 2yo fillies)
Coronation Stakes (1m, Group 1, 3yo fillies)
Coventry Stakes (6f, Group 2, 2yo)
St James’s Palace Stakes (1m, Group 1, 3yo colts)
Diamond Jubilee Stakes (6f, Group 1, 4yo+)
Wokingham Handicap (6f, 3yo+)
Queen Alexandra Stakes (2m6f, Conditions, 4yo+)
Feature image for illustration only.
