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Articles and Products of History The Royal Ascot: Horse Racing HistoryQueen Anne, who was the second daughter of King James II, had a deep love for horse racing. She was an expert horsewoman, herself, and often cavorted about on her horse on the grounds of her property. One particular day she saw a section of land a few miles from Windsor Castle. This land was near the village of East Cote, which is now known as Ascot. Queen Anne decided that this flat, wide field would be the perfect location for horse racing. Races began at The Royal Ascot in 1711. Cups were not given out until 1772 as prizes, and the tradition took off. Races that are held at The Royal Ascot include: The Gold Cup, Gold Vase, and the Royal Hunt Cup. A 2 story Royal Box was commission by King George IV. The only people that are allowed to enter this box, or its surrounding areas are royalty, and those invited by the royals. This area of security and nobility has become known as The Royal Enclosure. If you enter this area, you are given a badge. This badge will display your name and title. Titles include Earls, Viscounts, Marquesses, Lords, etc. This is a place of much hob knobbing. Who would have ever known that Queen Annes love for horse racing and their speed would have mushroomed into such a popular and much awaited for sporting event? People can be found hours before the start of a race at their chairs and tables eating lobster and drinking champagne. They would watch the jockey. This is not unlike tailgating that takes place at other sporting events, except you wont find coolers of beer, or hot dogs at The Royal Ascot. You probably wont see many pickup trucks, or minivans, either. The parking lot usually becomes the home of Rolls Royces, Mercedes, Bentleys, and other high dollar vehicles. All to watch horses races around the track. The upper crusts tail gate in style! Popular horses of today include Seabiscuit
who rose to fame in the 1930s at what many consider the peak of American
Horse Racing. Other famous horses include Funny Cide and Smarty Jones.
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