Royal Ascot, founded by Queen Anne in 1711, ran from 16 to 20 June 2026, and Scandinavia beat the holder Trawlerman by a head in the Gold Cup.
In 2026 Royal Ascot ran from Tuesday 16 to Saturday 20 June at Ascot Racecourse in Ascot, Berkshire, with the Gold Cup on the Thursday.
Queen Anne founded Ascot in 1711. She had ridden out from Windsor Castle, six miles away, and judged the common fit for racing. The first meeting ran there on 11 August that year.
The first public grandstand went up in 1839 and has been rebuilt five times since. Over three centuries the June meeting became the centre of the British social year.
The meeting is organised by enclosure rather than by day. The Windsor Enclosure sets no formal dress code, and the Queen Anne Enclosure asks for morning dress or a day dress and a hat. The Royal Enclosure belongs to its Members and their guests.
The Gold Cup, the two-and-a-half-mile race Ascot was built around, was decided by a head. Trawlerman, the holder, led from the start under William Buick. Scandinavia, a four-year-old ridden by Ryan Moore, caught him close home.
The win gave Aidan O’Brien his tenth Gold Cup, more than any other trainer in the race’s history.