No less a person than Queen Anne is credited with founding the
racecourse at Ascot, near Windsor, in the early 18th century, a
fact celebrated every June with the running of the Queen Anne
Stakes at the opening of the Royal Ascot meeting. Royalty, high
fashion and racing made up the unique brew that ensured Royal Ascot
would go on to become one of the most famous race meetings in the
world. The course has endured through the reigns of 12 monarchs,
most of whom have been enthusiastic patrons. But of course Ascot
would be nothing without its great racehorses and there are plenty
of famous names to conjure with inside the pages of this book. Past
legends include the equine hero Brown Jack, who won at the Royal
Meeting seven years in a row from 1928 to 1934, and modern greats
such as Shergar and Nijinsky make their appearances too. Alongside
the horses are the jockeys who rode them, men like Lester Piggott
and Frankie Dettori. Even in the new millennium Ascot is still
going from strength to strength, with ever-increasing attendance
figures, and now major modernizations are being contemplated:
existing stands are to be replaced and the course realigned. This
is a celebration of a much-loved British institution. Richly
illustrated with some splendid colour and black-and-white
photographs, it is a beautiful book to dip into. Since it is also
the first official history of Ascot Racecourse there is plenty of
meaty reading and the authors have made extensive use of original
documents from the Royal Archives and the Jockey Club. The result
is a detailed and authoritative guide to the racecourse and its
history, enlivened with colourful anecdotes and vivid characters
from Ascot past and present. (Kirkus UK)
Ascot: The History, written with the full cooperation of the Ascot
Authority and with access to the Royal Archives, Weatherbys, and
the Jockey Club, is the official history of the world's most famous
racecourse.
For almost three centuries, the very word Ascot has been
synonymous with royalty, elegance, high fashion, and style-and with
the world's finest racehorses battling for some of the Turf's most
prestigious prizes.Established in 1711 by Queen Anne in an open
space in Windsor Forest, the course has come to represent the sport
of racing itself through the reigns of twelve monarchs.
Above all, the history of Ascot resonates with the names of the
many outstanding horses that, over the years, have graced its turf
and established its reputation. Here are the eighteenth-century
legends Eclipse and Gimcrack; the twentieth-century giants Ribot,
Nijinsky, Shergar, and Dubai Millennium; Arkle, the supreme
steeplechaser; and the best-loved Ascot horse of all, Brown Jack.
And with the great horses are linked the great jockeys, including
Steve Donoghue, Gordon Richards, Lester Piggott, and Frankie
Dettori, whose "Magnificent Seven" winners at Ascot in 1996 remains
one of the greatest feats of jockeyship in the racecourse's
history.
At once enormously readable and authoritative, Ascot: The
History is rich in character, detail, and anecdote and is lavishly
illustrated throughout. Exciting, illuminating, and entertaining,
it is the book for all who love the sport of Kings and Queens.
General
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