Royal Ascot 2026 guide: When is it, times, big races, trainers, jockeys and more
Royal Ascot is the biggest Flat race meeting in the world, attracting the best horses, runners and of course, royalty.
Sports New Blitz has all you need to know about the famous event.
Royal Ascot is a huge five-day festival of racing starting on Tuesday, June 16 and ending on Saturday June 20.
It crams in eight Group 1 races across the week, and there's hardly time to take a breath.
Royal Ascot is as much a social occasion as it is a wonderful racing occasion and each day at 2pm, half an hour before the opening race, members of the royal party make their way down the racecourse to the strains of the national anthem, in horse-drawn carriages.
Once again His Majesty King Charles III is expected to attend all five days of the 2026 meeting, although he is not as passionate a follower of racing as his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, who missed only a handful of Royal Ascots since ascending to the throne.
When was Royal Ascot first staged?
The roots of the Royal meeting were established in 1768, when the first four-day meeting was held at the track. Things progressed when, in 1807, the first Gold Cup was contested and Royal Ascot was born.
In those days, and up until 1939, Royal Ascot was the only meeting staged on the track each year.
In 2005, due to the redevelopment of the racecourse, Royal Ascot was run at York. That is the only time it has been staged at any other venue.
When is Ladies Day at Royal Ascot?
Ladies Day is day three, the Thursday of Royal Ascot, each year and when the centrepiece of the whole meeting, the Gold Cup takes place.
This is a day of high fashion and elegance, as well as the great Group 1 race, contested by the best stayers the world of Flat racing has to offer.
What is the going and weather forecast for Ascot 2026?
Racegoers can expect warm weather for Royal Ascot with temperatures expected to be around the low 20s.
Importantly the forecast looks generally dry, though there’s a slight risk of an occasional shower on Wednesday. Friday could be the warmest day with the mercury set to rise to 26C
Ascot clerk of the course Chris Stickels expects the going for Royal Ascot to be good to firm, good in places after dry conditions continued.
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What are the big races at Royal Ascot?
Aside from the main feature Gold Cup, on Thursday June 18, there are seven other Group 1 races across the five days. Here are the details of the big hitters:
Tuesday, June 16:
14:30 Queen Anne Stakes (1m)
15:40 King Charles III Stakes (5f)
16:20 St James's Palace Stakes (1m)
Wednesday, June 17:
16:20 Prince of Wales's Stakes (1m 2f)
Thursday, June 18:
16:20 Gold Cup (2m 3f)
Friday, June 19:
15:05 Commonwealth Cup (6f)
16:20 Coronation Stakes (1m)
Saturday, June 20:
16:20 The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (6f)
Top trainers at Royal Ascot
Aidan O'Brien - 91 winners
Sir Michael Stoute - 82 winners
Sir Henry Cecil - 75
John Gosden - 70
Top jockeys at Royal Ascot
Lester Piggott - 116 winners
Ryan Moore - 92
Frankie Dettori - 81
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