Royal Ascot 2014

This year’s Royal Ascot coincided with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Summer is was; it was a glorious day for horseracing with endless sunshine and blue skies. Royal Ascot kicks off the quintessential “British” summer festivities along with Glastonbury and Henley Royal Regatta; a high society event attended by HM The Queen and other members of the Royal Family who are given a royal procession around the course before the first race of the day.

A while ago, another American couple friend invited us to join the fun at Ascot with 20 plus people from their softball team. Being such a large group, we opted for the Silver Stand for a more informal, relaxed atmosphere. Whilst there’s no dress code, all spectators in the Silver Ring wore smart suits, knee-length dresses, and of course, a fabulous hat and/or fascinator for the ladies. After spotting the Queen in her powder pink outfit on the horse-drawn carriage during the Royal Procession, we got comfortable on the picnic grounds nibbling on grilled Portobello/ goat cheese sandwiches, drinking endless glasses of champagne, and catching up with friends on upcoming summer plans.

Whilst we’re not big gambler, Kenz and I put a few bets at the “bookies” to keep the day interesting. Knowing nothing about horses, we strictly picked the horse by the sound of their names rather than the odds. We were down for the better part of the day until the last and final race of the day in which we got a tip-off from a fellow racegoer to place our bets on Pique Sous. Indeed Pique Sous won the race and we went home 5 quid richer!

Happy summer all and happy World Cup!