A day at the races
Royal Ascot, which takes place in June each year, is one of the highlights of Britain’s social season. ANNA HOCHSIEDER invites you to spend a day at the races.
Royal Ascot
1. punter [(pvnte]
UK ifml.
2. bookmaker
[(buk)meike]
3. winnings [(wininz]
4. racecourse [(reisko:s],
racetrack [(reisträk]
5. grandstand
[(grändständ]
6. bit [bit]
7. bridle [(braid&l]
8. reins [reinz]
9. jockey [(dzqki]
10. thoroughbred racehorse
[)Tvrebred (reisho:s]
11. saddle [(säd&l]
12. stirrup [(stirep]
13. fascinator [(fäsineite] 14. racecard [(reiska:d]
15. top hat [)tqp (hät]
16. winning post
[(WININ peust]
17. home straight
[)heum (streit] UK, home stretch
[)heum (strets] N. Am. 18. betting slip [(betin slip] Every year in June, Ascot, a small town near Windsor, hosts what is probably the world’s most famous race meeting. This five-day flat-racing event attracts around 300,000 visitors, including the Queen and other members of the royal family, making it one of the highlights of the British social calendar.
Tickets are available for four different areas, known as enclosures. While formal attire is requested in all areas, the dress code is particularly strict in the Royal Enclosure, which is reserved for members.
If you want to try your luck at horse racing, here’s what to do: pick a winner, and decide on the stake and the type of bet you wish to make (win, place or eachway). If you are lucky enough to have backed the winner and the odds are long, you might end up with a tidy little sum.
Even if you’re not the horsey type, you can still get your money’s worth at Ascot. The Royal Meeting is no less famous for its eccentric millinery than for its equestrian events. On Ladies’ Day, the Thursday of Ascot Week, punters bet on the colour of the queen’s hat. Last year, it was shocking pink.