（Graham Ford May Zhao)This year the horses themselves will be taking centre stage. We have to put on the best show we can in the situation the country, and indeed the wider world, currently finds itself in.
Without the traditional Royal Enclosure there cannot be a Royal Enclosure dress code, so not the interest of the rather eccentric top hats and tails for the men, nor the glorious colours and designs of the ladies’ dresses and hats.
No Royal procession before the first race, nor communal singing around the bandstand at the culmination of the day’s action. It is the first time in her 68-year reign that the Queen has missed Royal Ascot.
Without crowds much of the atmosphere is lost, with no roaring as horses approach the finishing line, nor cheering the victorious horse and rider back into the winners enclosure.
But the very fact we are staging the Royal meeting at all has to be seen as a positive, and the onus is on us who run the sport of horse racing to ensure the very best action and excitement that we can, given the circumstances.
Royal Ascot 2020 is the biggest sporting event in the world taking place behind closed doors.
Additional races have been added to try to give the public watching at home more action.
It is a golden opportunity to engage with more people, as most sports worldwide are still awaiting a return to competitive action. In the UK horse racing was the first sport to return on 1st June.
A floral arrangement including a rainbow montage is in the parade ring with the motif of Ascot’s charity appeal #StyledWithThanks, the at-home fashion challenge which encourages people to dress up, share a photo and make a £5 donation to the fund-raising page in aid of those impacted by Covid-19. (The rainbow symbol has represented thanking the NHS and key workers throughout the pandemic, adorning windows in homes and shops / businesses throughout the country).
Strict social distancing rules must be adhered to, with Social Distancing Officers patrolling the site, with the ability to levy fines against those not complying with the wearing of masks and strict social distancing requirements. The rules regarding the resumption of horse racing are extremely stringent.
We are obviously hopeful that this virus will have been beaten by June 2021, in which case all things being well, the Royal Ascot meeting can once again return to the pomp and pageantry which so many visitors enjoy. It is normally the celebration of the best of British, and a wonderful spectacle enjoyed by a third of a million paying visitors, along with many millions viewing around the world on television.
The event sells itself, with the beauty of the thoroughbreds in full flight, the fashion and glamour in the enclosures, and the history and respect of seeing the Queen and her entourage arriving by carriage.
There will be no physical attendance by any members of the Royal family this year, but Her Majesty will be watching avidly from home, as she is hugely passionate about the sport of horse racing. The Queen enjoyed a winner on Wednesday when Tactical, ridden by James Doyle and trained by Andrew Balding, won the Windsor Castle Stakes in her colours. This two year old was also bred by the Queen, so his win will have been even more special for her.
Letter From London