Royal Ascot remains the undisputed jewel of the British summertime sporting calendar. Running from Tuesday 16th to Saturday 20th June 2026, the prestigious five-day meeting returns to Berkshire with record prize money and a culinary line-up that cements its status as the world’s most Michelin-starred sporting event. Here, we preview what promises to be the most internationally charged in living memory.
Founded by Queen Anne in 1711 and welcoming over 300,000 visitors across five days, Royal Ascot has long been the beating heart of the British racing calendar. But 2026 signals something more than tradition upheld.
This year’s Royal Meeting will be worth a record £10.65 million in prize money, up from £10.05 million in 2025, with all eight Group 1 races now valued at a minimum of £700,000. Two of those, including the Platinum Jubilee Stakes, carry purses of £1 million. Every race across the week will be run for at least £120,000, up from £110,000. It is a statement of intent from Ascot’s new Chief Executive, Felicity Barnard, and her team: that in an increasingly competitive international market, Royal Ascot will continue to attract the very finest thoroughbreds from around the globe. And this year, the world is answering. The entry lists read like a summit of global horsepower, with runners confirmed or expected from France, Ireland, Japan, and Australia alongside the cream of British training.
The investment doesn’t stop at the Royal Meeting. Across 25 racedays in 2026, Ascot’s total prize money reaches a record £19.4 million, a 57% increase since 2016. The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in July becomes Britain’s first ever £2 million race, a landmark moment for the sport’s midsummer showpiece.
The Prince of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday promises to be the race of the week, if not the season. Among the 24 entries is Calandagan, crowned Longines World’s Best Racehorse and European Horse of the Year for 2025, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard. Also entered is his stablemate Daryz, winner of last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, who returned with a brilliant comeback victory that has seen him installed as early favourite. The defending champion Ombudsman, who struck for Godolphin and William Buick with a decisive two-length victory last summer, will seek to confirm his standing among the elite middle-distance performers.
But the most extraordinary entry of all? Forever Young, Japan’s dual Saudi Cup and Breeders’ Cup Classic hero has been entered by Yoshito Yahagi in what would be his first ever start on turf. Whether connections ultimately run remains to be seen, but the mere possibility of a horse of his calibre on the Ascot turf has sent ripples through the international racing community. As Ascot’s own team noted, if all goes to plan with Japanese star Masquerade Ball also targeting the King George in July, it could produce some of the greatest international spectacles ever staged on British soil.
The Gold Cup on Thursday, Ladies’ Day, is the stayers’ championship and the emotional centrepiece of the week. The recently retired Kyprios, who won the race twice for Aidan O’Brien, leaves an enormous void. Into it steps O’Brien’s Scandinavia, a Justify colt who won both the Goodwood Cup and the St Leger last season and is the current ante-post favourite. He faces the defending champion Trawlerman, who made the Gold Cup his own last year with a dominant seven-length front-running display under William Buick for the Gosden stable, and the intriguing French raider Candelari, who has won four of five career starts despite making his debut only six months ago.
The sprinting divisions carry a distinctly antipodean flavour. Five-time Group 1 winner Joliestar, trained by Chris Waller and owned by Cambridge Stud’s Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay, is targeting the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on the final Saturday after cementing her Royal Ascot credentials with a gutsy victory in Sydney’s TJ Smith Stakes. She would be bidding to emulate fellow Australian raiders Black Caviar, Nature Strip, and Choisir, all of whom triumphed at the Royal Meeting. Her stablemate Generosity and dual Group 1 winner Overpass add further Australian firepower, while Japanese sprinters Lugal and Satono Reve bring formidable form from the Far East.
On the opening Tuesday, the Queen Anne Stakes provides the traditional curtain-raiser, the straight-mile championship for older horses, while the St James’s Palace Stakes offers the first glimpse of the season’s leading three-year-old colts over a mile. The trainers’ championship, as ever, is likely to be a contest between Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore on one side and the combined might of Godolphin and the Gosden yard on the other, with Charlie Appleby’s string, spearheaded by the impressive Opera Ballo, adding further depth.
Fashion has always been inseparable from the Ascot identity, and 2026 introduces two initiatives that aim to define the visual character of this year’s meeting.
The Royal Ascot Millinery Collective, now in its second year under the creative direction of Daniel Fletcher, was unveiled at London Fashion Week in a salon-style presentation at Claridge’s. Entitled Crowning the Season, the 2026 collection features 11 bespoke hats by leading British milliners, among them Stephen Jones OBE, whose sculptural silver-and-grey taffeta piece drew inspiration from Cecil Beaton’s Bright Young Things of the 1920s and 1930s. The collection reimagines that era’s romantic modernity through dramatic veiling, floral headpieces, and bold sculptural silhouettes.
Perhaps the more talked-about innovation, however, is the inaugural Royal Ascot Colour of the Year: Bright Tomato. Featured prominently in the newly launched Royal Ascot Handbook: The Art of Dressing Well . The vibrant shade is set to dominate Ladies’ Day on Thursday 18th June, with racegoers encouraged to wear statement dresses, bold millinery, tomato-toned ties, pocket squares, and subtle accents. The colour echoes the spring/summer 2026 runways of Chanel, Celine, and Stella McCartney, and has drawn comparisons to the striking red Alexander McQueen dress worn by the Princess of Wales at Royal Ascot 2023. Whether coincidence or homage, it is an undeniably powerful fashion moment.
Fletcher, serving as Creative Director of the Handbook for the third year, enlisted British supermodel Erin O’Connor, a longtime Royal Ascot attendee, to bring the 2026 vision to life. O’Connor wore designs by Edeline Lee, Rebecca Vallance, and Roksanda alongside accessories from Longines, Christian Louboutin, and Bucherer.
Royal Ascot has long been as much a gastronomic destination as a sporting one, and 2026 aims to raise the bar once more. Under the stewardship of 1711 by Ascot, the course’s dedicated hospitality and culinary arm, this year’s chef-in-residence programme boasts a combined 29 Michelin stars, 3 Green Stars, and over 30 AA Rosettes.
The headline return is Raymond Blanc OBE, whose two-Michelin-starred legacy needs no introduction. He presides once more over the sixth-floor Panoramic Restaurant in the Royal Enclosure, offering a four-course menu to just 120 guests in what remains one of the most exclusive dining rooms in British sport.
Simon Rogan MBE, of three-Michelin-starred L’Enclume, returns to the Parade Ring Restaurant. Maintaining the ultimate vantage point overlooking the Parade Ring and Winners’ Enclosure, the five-course à la carte menu rooted in his signature hyper-seasonal, farm-to-table philosophy.
New for 2026, Angela Hartnett OBE marks her return to Royal Ascot after a twelve-year absence, taking residence in the Queen Anne Enclosure’s flagship fifth-floor restaurant with a seasonal Italian menu inspired by her celebrated Mayfair restaurant, Murano. Steve Smith, meanwhile, makes his Royal Ascot debut at The Vista, offering a six-course tasting menu from a restaurant positioned just beyond the winning post, with panoramic views of the track.
Yannick Alléno, holder of an extraordinary 17 Michelin stars across his global empire, brings a small-plates tasting experience to Bar Antoine by the Four Seasons, a first for the racecourse. And master pâtissier Benoit Blin, of Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, contributes his celebrated afternoon tea, having perfected the art under the tutelage of Raymond Blanc himself.
Tom Shepherd of Michelin-starred Upstairs returns to The Sandringham, the striking orangery-inspired structure nestled in Lavender Courtyard, while Lisa Goodwin-Allen of Northcote makes her first Royal Ascot appearance. Over the course of five days, attendees will once again consume tens of thousands of bottles of champagne, fine wines, jugs of Pimm’s, and finger sandwiches and we’re very much here for it.
Royal Ascot 2026 offers four distinct enclosures, each with its own character and dress code.
The Royal Enclosure remains the most exclusive area, open to Members and their guests by invitation only. Morning dress, black or grey morning coat, waistcoat, tie, and top hat is required for gentlemen. Ladies must wear dresses or skirts of modest length with straps of at least one inch, and hats are mandatory.
The Queen Anne Enclosure, offers access to the Grandstand, Parade Ring viewing, and the beloved tradition of singing around the Bandstand.
The Village Enclosure brings a festival energy to the centre of the track, with DJs, reinvented brass bands, jazz and funk across three stages, performing until 9pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
The Windsor Enclosure, provides a vibrant, relaxed atmosphere with no formal dress code, close-up views of the Royal Procession, and the option to bring your own picnic.
As the starting stalls open on Tuesday 16th June, the anticipation will be palpable. One suspects the champagne will flow rather freely.
