Ladies Day Royal Ascot

Along with The Derby and The Grand National, the Ascot Gold Cup or more particularly Royal Ascot holds a place dear to the UK public, be they horse racing fans or not.

Of course Royal Ascot is about more than just horse racing, it has long been the place to be seen for the rich and famous but more recently it has also become the place to be seen for us lesser mortals who get the chance to dress up and act like royalty for a day at the races.

There is always the chance that you will be in the same place as members of the Royal family albeit at some distance and the Royal heritage dates back to 1711 when Ascot Racecourse was opened by Queen Anne.

These days the Queen arrives each day of the race meeting in a horse drawn carriage to take her place in the Royal Enclosure. This area is only accessible to members and their guests and adheres to a strict dress code, something that has also been followed by the attending public who do not have access to the enclosure.

For the British press and television there is often more coverage given to what people are wearing than there is of the racing itself, making it a major event on the social calendar.

For this reason Ladies Day has become particularly significant as ‘ladies’ attempt to outdo one another with the most outlandish hats and headgear.

It is also on Ladies Day that the Ascot Gold Cup is run, with over £3 million in prize money on offer to the winners.

This year Royal Ascot takes place from Tuesday June 15th until Saturday 19th with ladies Day on Thursday 17th. As THE place to be seen in the UK in June, the cost of tickets for Royal Ascot is surprisingly reasonable, but remember to account for a special outfit for the occasion and the best opportunity ever to show off some snazzy expensive head-wear.

Royal Ascot Tickets
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Sweepstake Shaker iPhone App

To help promote their new Sweepstake Shaker iPhone App, The Sun newspaper has very kindly donated two pairs of tickets to the Cheltenham Racecourse Hunter Chase Evening on 5th May.

The tickets include free meal vouchers and a free bet for an unforgettable day at the famous Cheltenham Racecourse.

The tickets will also give access to The Sun’s Best Mate Enclosure.

To enter the competition all you need to do is correctly answer the following question:

What is the name of The Sun Newspaper’s new iPhone app?

Send your entries to freecompetition@buzzinmedia.co.uk with The Sun Tickets in the subject line (any other subject title will be not be entered) with your answer and your full address and contact telephone number.

This Buzzin Sports Cheltenham Racecourse Hunter Chase Competition ends on 22nd April, 2010. The editor will randomly choose 2 winners to each receive two tickets.

The editor’s choice is final.

The Sun Sweepstake Shaker: Big Race Edition is available now to download for free on the App Store or via thesun.co.uk/sweepstake.

There are few of us who don’t possess some craving or other, one for which a regular fix is needed. If yours is horse racing, then you will know the importance of attending the meeting on the calendar that most gets your blood pumping. Whether it be the big annual events at Aintree or Cheltenham, or some other less headlining race-meeting that is close to your race-goer’s heart, you wouldn’t want a lack of funds to come between  you and your desire to be there on the course, backing your favourites and revelling in the excitement that only live race-going can give you.

For many British race-goers, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is the one not to miss. It takes place in mid-March over four days. Admission to the Tattersalls Grandstand for the whole event can be obtained for less than £90, if booked in advance. A ticket for a single day costs as little as £25. Budgeting for travel to Cheltenham is another consideration, as is parking, but to savour that grand day out at the races fully, the indispensable item is a nice wad of cash for placing those all-important bets.

The same goes for fans of Aintree’s Grand National, held in April. Again, admission is not a great obstacle (no pun intended). With ticket prices on the Saturday, when the Grand national itself is held, ranging from £18 (for a very restricted view in the rather basic Steeplechase Enclosure) to £115 (seated in the Princess Royal Grandstand), every pocket is catered for. The cash needed to enjoy the occasion fully are another matter.

Regardless of what size of flutter you like to have at the races, it is sometimes necessary to find someone who can advance the money. One method is via payday loans which apply, of course, not just to that once-a-year racing outing, but to other expenses, from car repairs and urgent dental treatment to pampering a loved one or enjoying a break away from the stresses of the daily grind. That small timely cash injection can make all the difference.

The ruler of the Kingdom of Dubai has invested an extraordinary amount of money in bloodstock, stud farms and training facilities around the world, and although there have been some tremendous victories across the globe, the mile-and-a-half Epsom Derby is proving stubbornly beyond the grasp of Sheikh Mohammed and his principal trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

When Best of The Bests ran fourth to Sinndarr in the 2000 renewal it seemed it was only a matter of time before the Godolphin blue would be carried to a success in the colts classic. Subsequent fine efforts from Tobougg (3rd in 2001), Moon Ballad (3rd in 2002), and Rule of Law’s late surge that carried him into the runners-up spot behind North Light in 2004 bode well, as did Dubawi’s third place in 2005 behind Motivator.

However, since then things have gone rapidly downhill and last year’s effort from Kite Wood underlines this. Although the horse’s SP of 28-1 shows he wasn’t well fancied by horse race betting experts, the run he put in to finish ninth was nothing short of woeful and was further evidence of the weakness of the Dubaian team when it comes to The Derby.

In 2010, Al Zir could be the one to bid to turn around the fortunes of Sheikh Mohammed’s team. After showing fine form as a juvenile, hopes must surely be high that he can at least give St Nicholas Abbey, hot favourite in the Epsom Derby betting, a run for his money. At present Al Zir is not entered in the race but, like stable companion and French Group1 juvenile winner Passion For Gold, he can always be supplemented should connections believe the horse has a chance.

After the amazing domination of the middle-distance scene by Ballydoyle in recent years, maybe the time has now come for Godolphin to hit back with a big winner of their own.

Abrasive is a colt by the multiple Group 1 winner Rock of Gibraltar, out of a Selkirk mare who has already produced two seriously talented middle-distance performers in Coral Eclipse winner Mount Nelson (full brother) and last year’s Great Voltigeur hero Monitor Closely. He is trained by William Haggas, the man who sent out Shaamit to land the Derby in 1996, and is owned by Tony Bloom, one of the most prominent gamblers in the world of international horse racing. He could easily be a horse of some significant ability.

Point North was purchased by Sir Robert Ogden at Tattersalls in October 2008 for 500,000 guineas and is in training with the highly successful Jeremy Noseda. By Danehill Dancer, he is out of the Sadlers Wells mare Briolette, a Listed winner in Ireland and half sister to many Group class horses, most notably the mighty Pilsudski, winner of the Breeders Cup Turf, Japan Cup, Coral Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes and Dubai Champion Stakes, amongst 10 top class victories.

Point North has a tremendous pedigree and connections will surely be keen to test their charge early if they are seriously to go for The Derby on June 5.

The third dark horse is the Aga Khan’s Sidpour, trained in France by the record breaking Jean-Claude Rouget. By the Aga Khan’s 2000 Derby winner Sinndarr, out of a mare who has produced six classy performers, most notably Slickly, winner of 10 of his 16 races, including four at Group 1 level, Sidpour has the ideal pedigree for a potential Derby candidate. It will be very interesting to see where he appears first and how he fares.

Three unraced horses all bred to be Derby winners. With Grand National 2010 just around the corner, could one of them possibly become a racing superstar?