Summer is nearly upon us which means it is time for Royal Ascot, horse racing’s black-tie affair. The five-day horse racing festival will begin on Tuesday, June 18th with six races per day. The race meeting will wrap up on Saturday, June 22nd. Horse racing fans can wager on all of Royal Ascot’s 30 races at Betamerica and follow the action from Berkshire.

The event will hold 30 incredible horse races over the course of the week. Over £13 million will be at stake in prize money when the world’s best flat horses meet in June at Ascot.

Horse Racing Tradition

Royal Ascot is all about tradition and it is the most historical horse race in the United Kingdom. Created in 1711 by Queen Anne, Royal Ascot has always had a connection to the UK royal family. It is a link that no other horse race meeting has in the UK.

Each day before the races begin, the royal procession sees members of the royal family arrive at Ascot Racecourse via horse drawn carriage. Due to the monarchy’s presence, Royal Ascot has a certain atmosphere and dress code. Certain areas such as the Queen Anne Enclosure of the racecourse are high-profile with a strict dress code.

Royal Ascot’s Top Races

No Royal Ascot race compares to the £1m prize purse of the single Grand National race. However, Royal Ascot still delivers some large prize purses to competitors during the week. The five-day festival begins on Tuesday with two big-money races, the King’s Stand Stakes and St. James Palace Stakes, offering £305,252 in prize money.

Wednesday sees Royal Ascot’s larges prize purse handed out in the Prince of Wales’ Stakes’. The race hands out £425,325 in prize funds, making it the most lucrative race at the festival.

Thursday’s Ascot Gold Cup is always one of the most anticipated races and pays out £283,550. The Coronation Stakes on Friday increases the prize funds once more with £305,525 awarded to participants. The final day is highlighted by the £340,260 Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

Royal Ascot’s Greatest Horses

With over three centuries of history, Royal Ascot has seen its fair share of great horses. Some stand out more than others thanks to their performances at the Berkshire racecourse.

One of the most famous is Brown Jack, a horse that accomplished a feat that will problem never be broken. Brown Jack won the Queen Alexandra Stakes in six consecutive years. In 1928, Brown Jack also won the Ascot Stakes.

Yeats is another of the great race horses to run at Ascot. The horse won four consecutive Ascot Gold Cups between 2006 and 2009. Yeats now has a statue outside of Ascot Racecourse.

Black Caviar arrived at Royal Ascot from Australia with big expectations at the start of the decade. When she arrived, Black Caviar was the most popular horse from down under. Her performance in the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes did not disappoint. Black Caviar was so strong out of the gate, she was slowed down by jockey Peter Moody down the final stretch thanks to a commanding lead as she strolled to victory.

Royal Ascot is set to run on Tuesday, June 18th and will once again bring horse racing, royalty, and the wealthy together in Berkshire.