Best Royal Ascot ever?

[Posts: 1335Joined: 17 Nov 2009, 01:13Location: Virginia]

Well the Gold Cup (my personal favorite race on the English calendar) was sort of dull. But otherwise the races were superb.

[Posts: 2032Joined: 06 Jun 2011, 14:34Location: Bury St Edmunds]

Well the Gold Cup (my personal favorite race on the English calendar) was sort of dull. But otherwise the races were superb.

The Gold Cup was a particularly poor renewal this year run at an absolute crawl. I'm still to be convinced that the first two would get the trip in a truly run race and thought JP Murtagh was not at his finest. S. De Sousa on Gulf of Naples set it up for the Godolphin trained horses. It remains to be seen whether Fame and Glory has gone sour or if he will regain the winning thread on better going.

[Posts: 2267Joined: 08 Sep 2005, 16:22]

There's hope for this place yet

Not a fence in sight and no mention of the whip and an almost completely positive thread about royal festival of the sport of kings.

Yes, it was good.

[Posts: 7Joined: 27 Jun 2009, 07:30]

as one of the 5/7000 Australians who attended it was a fantastic few days.

thought it was terrific, atmosphere, pomp.

trip of a lifetime.

[Posts: 213Joined: 11 Feb 2011, 22:25]

Great post OD -

One negative for me was that in the pre-parade they paraded Black Caviar in a circle at the top end of the ring - up at the posh end. I waited an hour to see her. It may have been to keep her away from the horses coming back from the Harwicke but that doesn't wash really as they still had to pass her. It seemed that those at the expensive end were being given precedence.

However, she did spin right around once and she was in the actual paddock itself for a fair while so can't really complain too much.

On the subject of the pre-parade ring. I saw about half a dozen near-misses in there this week and finally a lady got a hefty smack on the stomach/side from a horse lashing out on the Friday. I overheard the lasses who were leading the horses saying 'that was waiting to happen' and so it was.

It is a problem on most courses, not just Ascot. Some of the owners have not got a clue that they have to be constantly aware/vigilant when there are horses, particularly racehorses, around.

David - I agree with your comments on near misses. Ascot's policy on parade ring passes is 6 per owner but BC owners must have got special treatment given the numbers in the winners enclosure after the race. Maybe I should cut them some slack for flying their star mare across the globe. God forbid someone suffers a serious injury but it does appear to be an accident waiting to happen at many courses.

When Euston Square won at Ripon last year Alistair was being interviewed post race by Gordon Brown for ATR. ES was being cooled down but got closer to Gordon's blind side until he was literally within easy kicking distance of him. Fortunately the horse is a gent but I gave Gordon the nod and he quickly brought the interview to a close!

[Posts: 978Joined: 20 Sep 2011, 16:52]

One barmaid at Royal Ascot didn't have quite such a good week.
She wrote in a letter to a newspaper: "I often read about the binge-drinking antics of young people but, working behind the bar at Royal Ascot, it was the older generation who disgusted me.
"On one day alone, we had several older women rolling around in mud, having fallen over after excessive alcohol consumption, men who couldn't even speak being held up by their friends, and couples all over each other in full view of everyone else.
"The atmosphere is one of fun but we are the young always persecuted for behaving in such a manner?
"The mess left to clean up at the end of the day was frankly disgusting, particularly after Ladies' Day, on which, incidentally, I saw very little ladylike behaviour."
Makes you proud to be British...

[Posts: 176Joined: 21 Sep 2010, 09:50Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne]

One barmaid at Royal Ascot didn't have quite such a good week.
She wrote in a letter to a newspaper: "I often read about the binge-drinking antics of young people but, working behind the bar at Royal Ascot, it was the older generation who disgusted me.
"On one day alone, we had several older women rolling around in mud, having fallen over after excessive alcohol consumption, men who couldn't even speak being held up by their friends, and couples all over each other in full view of everyone else.
"The atmosphere is one of fun but we are the young always persecuted for behaving in such a manner?
"The mess left to clean up at the end of the day was frankly disgusting, particularly after Ladies' Day, on which, incidentally, I saw very little ladylike behaviour."
Makes you proud to be British...

This will be todays plate meeting in 6 hours, people doing things they wouldnt dream of sober!!

[Posts: 385Joined: 04 Mar 2009, 01:52Location: Herts, Stourbridge & Dorset]

Still catching up on the Royal meeting as we inconveniently chose to take a family holiday in Spain during Royal Ascot week.

Did manage to catch Frankel (incredible) and Black Caviar (phew - certainly nowhere the BC I've seen in her races Down Under) and the bits I've caught up on so far have been pretty spectacular.

Now Mrs Carryonkatie wants to have next years break during the school Easter break (therefore including Aintree).

To follow up on one previous posters point, the money being pumped into Champions Day is silly. Royal Ascot is the UK's one true International Championship meeting.

The fact is the modern global Flat Racing is not unlike the F1 season (Winter in Dubai, Spring in the Far East, Summer in Europe, Autumn in the US, Australia and back in the Far East).

Therefore, if we are to have a World Championship meeting as such, the natural home is Royal Ascot, not Champions Day.

[Posts: 12568Joined: 22 Dec 2007, 19:24]

More top class horses ran on Champions Day than any Royal Ascot day or even the Breeders Cup. Best time for a Champion card is later in the season too. Beforehand I was against the new Champions Day last year, but I was very wrong; it was a great success.

[Posts: 2032Joined: 06 Jun 2011, 14:34Location: Bury St Edmunds]

More top class horses ran on Champions Day than any Royal Ascot day or even the Breeders Cup. Best time for a Champion card is later in the season too. Beforehand I was against the new Champions Day last year, but I was very wrong; it was a great success.

Royal Ascot is run over 5 days in high summer, it is a meeting featuring the 3 generations whereas the "Champions" day is a manufactured spectacle without juvenile representation. Its position in the calendar and being run at Ascot means that it will often be run on softish going and thus disadvantaging those thoroughbreds with the best confirmation.

[Posts: 1Joined: 30 Jun 2012, 10:28]

With my love of Horses and in particular Thoroughbreds, coupled with the demise of the Beeb and its long association with Royal Ascot, I quickly put together this poem. Its such a long time since school days, that I would not be offended if you corrected my grammar.

I had the pleasure of attending Royal Ascot on the very last day and of course, history in the making with Black Caviar and more sadly the last Beeb coverage of Royal Ascot.

I had a tear in my eye when I saw Clare Balding's uncle Toby in the Queens carriage, as I was unsure whether Mr Balding was still alive.

My brother was apprentice Jockey to Toby way back in 1959/60 and I spent my weekends doing odd jobs at the stables and that started my love affair with horses !

If any of you like my poem, please forward to all and sundry.

Jack L Halford

FAREWELL my FOUR LEGGED FRIENDS

Dimmock and O Sullevan captured the nation with their very own brand of communication.

To record every year this special royal event, on the beeb in the beginning was heaven sent.

Anne of yesteryear was Queen and host, her name lived on in Frankel to that elusive winning post.

Kings and Queens have come and gone, through beebs eyes Queen Elizabeths Ascot lives on.

Royal Ascot is all style and grace,from horses to grooms, nothing will replace.

The Royal carriage procession led by Windsor Greys, are symbols of quality throughout the Ascot days.

This sporting tradition of all the Kings horses, has raised our emotions over the many tough courses.

Fashion and elegance come to the fore, none better than Frankie to become folklore.

Records come and records go, Gold Cup Yeats and Lester Piggott, not so.

What fare can be served on this majestic occasion, 'Black Caviar' no doubt with gentle persuasion.

Champagne, top hats and exquisite ladies on show, three centuries of racing history, none finer can bestow.

Sixty years of our glorious Queens reign, the beeb never missed a hoof beat, we must proclaim.

Clare Balding and Willie Carson are such an endearing team, we are left to ponder what once was a dream.

Our four legged friends have served the beeb well, where lies the tv coverage 'Nay' can pray tell.

Jack L Halford

[Posts: 978Joined: 20 Sep 2011, 16:52]

I had the pleasure of attending Royal Ascot on the very last day and of course, history in the making with Black Caviar and more sadly the last Beeb coverage of Royal Ascot.

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Royal Ascot, Jack, and have expressed such positive thoughts in what seems to be your first credited post on the forum after apparently joining it today.
You seem to have enjoyed the day and it's good to see your appreciation of the many years of BBC coverage of Royal Ascot.
It's certainly the end of an era as far as television coverage is concerned and the days of Sir Peter O'Sullevan were certainly a golden era.
Peter Dimmock, still going strongly at the age of 91, was regarded as a pioneer of BBC racing and other sports coverage.
The Royal Ascot meeting has attracted pretty much universal praise for its quality, unlike some of the BBC coverage, but the BBC can be rightly proud of what it has contributed over the years.
It's sad that the BBC's racing coverage has come to this but I know many people will be glad to see the back of it and are eagerly awaiting the dawn of Channel 4's expanded coverage next year.
Hope you enjoy posting on this forum, Jack.
Incidentally, Peter Dimmock has just launched a broadside against the BBC's diamond jubilee coverage.
An article in the Daily Telegraph a couple of days ago says:

A former grandee of the BBC has joined the criticism of the corporation's coverage of the Diamond Jubilee claiming its poor performance is putting the licence fee at risk.
Peter Dimmock, former head of outside broadcasting, and mastermind of coverage of the Coronation in 1953, is also scathing of the BBC's failure to retain coverage of major sporting events.
Dimmock, 91, said that the outgoing BBC Director-General Mark Thompson should have apologised for the coverage and named the executive responsible.
"Peter feels very strongly that Thompson is putting the licence fee in jeopardy," a friend told the newspaper.
"Thank God the BBC is still showing Wimbledon, but he sincerely believes people have a right to a decent public broadcasting service.
"And if they don't get Royal Ascot, Epsom and the Grand National, they are being cheated. He says it is not just a question of sport.
"These are national events. The river pageant was the last straw. He was on a riverside balcony at Hurlingham on the day and one of his fellow guests was able to identify more boats than any of the BBC commentators.
"It was embarrassing for someone who worked for the BBC for so long — and who thought it was a privilege to do so."
The friend added that Dimmock believes it is bad management structure at the BBC that is to blame and that someone should have accepted responsibility.
Dimmock, himself, admitted he had "strong feelings on the matter" but refused to comment further.