Royal Ascot

Frankie gets his last Royal Ascot hurrah – in spades

1 July 2023 9:00 am

We all wanted Frankie to have a last Royal Ascot hurrah. In the end he got four, including a ninth…

Why racing needs Frankie Dettori

9 July 2022 9:00 am

Heading for a holiday in Sardinia, I remembered that the last time we were there our engine-less, drifting boat was…

The joy of Royal Ascot

25 June 2022 9:00 am

In a disintegrating country, stuck for the moment with a Prime Minister who can’t see the difference between a proliferation…

The rise of older jockeys

26 June 2021 9:00 am

There are many facets to Royal Ascot’s appeal. For some it is glamour, style and opulence. For some it is…

Royal Ascot was a triumph – even without the cheers and the hats

27 June 2020 9:00 am

Royal Ascot it wasn’t: for the first time in her 68-year reign, thanks to Covid-19, the Queen was not there.…

In praise of geldings

22 June 2019 9:00 am

Boris Johnson, Remainers might like to be reminded, does sometimes change his mind under pressure. Some years ago, as editor…

Hang on to your hat – they’re making a comeback

8 June 2019 9:00 am

‘Thank goodness for racing,’ says Rachel Trevor-Morgan. She is a milliner — a hat maker — so it’s no surprise…

The happiest Royal Ascot in memory

7 July 2018 9:00 am

Let’s get the crowing over first. The returns from our Twelve to Follow over jumps last season were somewhere well…

Ryan Moore is the new Lester Piggott

27 June 2015 9:00 am

Nothing pleases the Royal Ascot crowd more than a winner for the meeting’s crucial supporter, the Queen. Imagine, then, the…

What is to be done about a world where everything is for sale?

20 September 2014 9:00 am

Next time you read about an auctioneer’s gavel coming down on a $150 million painting bought by some flunkey representing…

Joan Collins’s diary: Why I gave up on Ascot – and where I go instead

12 July 2014 9:00 am

Can there be anything more perfect than early July in London, when the sun is shining, the sky a cloudless…

Yes, I'm biased – but this was a great Royal Ascot

28 June 2014 9:00 am

The one sight I was determined not to miss at Royal Ascot was that of the Queen from over the…

Royal Ascot triumph: Johnny Murtagh is the best trainer riding

6 July 2013 9:00 am

Ginger Rogers, clever girl, did everything that Fred Astaire did — but she did it backwards. I am looking backwards…