Ascot Racecourse

Ascot's rain-affected British Champions Day opened with the £300,000 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup over the best part of two miles and it was Hollie Doyle, fresh from setting a record number of winners earlier in the week, who celebrated success with a wide-margin tally aboard Barbary Lions 5's 4-year-old gelding Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}). The Alan King trainee's previous best came in July's Listed Tapster S. at Haydock and he earned his place in this line-up coming back off an eighth--behind the reopposing Fujaira Prince (Ire) (Pivotal {GB})--in...

As rain continued to pummel both Paris and parts of England on Saturday, Ascot's card which was set to feature the G3 Bengough S. and G3 Cumberland Lodge S.-including last year's unbeaten G1 St Leger winner Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB})-was cancelled. A Tweet from the course read: "Update--Following over 36mm rain since racing yesterday, today's meeting has been abandoned. The track is unsafe for racing due to waterlogging and false patches of ground."

ParisLongchamp warms up for Sunday's main event with a fascinating card on Saturday, but it is Newmarket's sole pattern race which steals the show with the G1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot S. featuring a clutch of high-class milers. They are headed by the rising sensation Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), who upstaged the re-opposing Peaceful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Matron S. at Leopardstown last time on Sept. 12 and has subsequently prompted a purchase by Teruya Yoshida. Stepping up off a prior win in the G3 Fairy...

Jockey Club Racecourses had previously projected a loss of £75-million in 2020, but now says it expects losses to exceed initial estimates following the government's announcement on Tuesday that crowds will not be permitted at sporting venues for up to six months due to rising COVID-19 infection rates. JCR Group Chief Executive Nevin Truesdale said he is seeking further clarity from the government on how long such restrictions may be in place and what support they may offer in the meantime. "Organisations in the sport and events sector are facing...

Ascot Racecourse has engaged Total Performance Data as its tracking distribution partner to broaden the reach of its Longines tracking data. TPD currently provides live tracking data from 37 racecourses worldwide. Juliet Slot, chief commercial officer at Ascot, said, "With racing taking place behind closed doors, it's never been more important for the sport to offer the greatest possible insight and analysis for online or home viewing and TPD enable us to reach a wider audience with our Longines tracking data. With 37 racecourses installed worldwide and some impressive commercial...

Ascot Racecourse and Sky Sports Racing have extended their partnership to air Ascot's 25 annual fixtures to domestic pay TV and digital platforms until at least 2024. At The Races will continue to manage licensing and distribution of Ascot races for live streaming to UK betting operators under a separate long-term agreement. Juliet Slot, chief commercial officer at Ascot, said, "We have developed an excellent partnership with the whole team at Sky Sports Racing since re-joining the refreshed channel last year. The growth in their audiences across our time as...

Ascot's promised match race failed to materialise on Saturday as Khalid Abdullah's epoch-defining Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) brushed aside the Ballydoyle contingent with an ease rarely seen on this exalted stage. Forcing her way into history as the first to win three renewals of the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco S., the Juddmonte regina was at her exuberant best with Frankie Dettori at pains to contain her from the outset. As she sauntered behind Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) with her well-matched rider content to allow last year's...

British Triple Crown hero Nijinsky II (Northern Dancer) won the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. 50 years ago this year, and was awarded the QIPCO Diamonds & Pearls award, Ascot Racecourse and QIPCO announced on Thursday. The award celebrates the winner of a vintage renewal of the King George. Owned by Charles W. Engelhard, Jr. and trained by Vincent O'Brien, the bay delivered as the only 3-year-old in the field, having already claimed victory in the 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and Irish Derby. After his King George triumph,...

For a long time denied a fair crack in the luck department, Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's Mohaather (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) made up for much of the lost time when rewarding market confidence in style in Ascot's G2 Betfred Summer Mile on Saturday. Badly hampered and finishing full of running when seventh in the G1 Queen Anne S. on the straight track at the Royal meeting June 16, the 2-1 favourite was a touch free early for Dane O'Neill with his rider at pains to restrain his enthusiasm halfway down the...

Enjoying days in the sun during the last decade with Lethal Force (Ire) and Harry Angel (Ire), it did not take long for Clive Cox to unearth another star sprinter and the former's son Golden Horde (Ire) looks to emulate his achievement in winning the G1 Darley July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday. Dynamic when winning the G1 Commonwealth Cup on similar ground at Royal Ascot on June 19, last year's G2 Richmond S. winner and G1 Middle Park S. runner-up gets six pounds weight-for-age from the older brigade and...

The G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot on July 25 will be worth £400,000. Minimum prize money for a Group 1 in Britain post lockdown has been £250,000. Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot, said, "With the deeply appreciated support of our Official Partner and race sponsor, QIPCO, we will be running this year's King George at £400,000. In doing so, we are maintaining our policy of contributing significant executive contribution to our flagship races which began with £1.7-million being added across...

Royal Ascot, which will feature 36 races for the first time as the coronavirus results in a spectatorless meeting, will reach over 120 countries via television broadcasts, Ascot Racecourse announced on Monday. ITV1 in the UK will display the iconic, five-day meeting, while the royal meeting will also be available in America, Australia, the Middle East, India, the Caribbean and Europe. ITV will cover 30 races on their main channel. Sky Sports Racing, reaching 14 million homes in the UK and Ireland, will broadcast all 36 races, and the Royal...