Racing chiefs set to confirm Royal Ascot will start as scheduled on June 16 and remain a five-day meeting – but WITHOUT fans present
- Resumption of Racing Group were meeting on Wednesday to discuss the event
- Racing In Britain set to return on June 1 amid government plan to exit lockdown
- Royal Ascot will remain a five-day meeting and take place behind closed doors
- Exact format and running order of prestigious meeting is still being worked out
Royal Ascot looks set to start on its scheduled date of Tuesday, June 16 and remain a five-day meeting which will take place behind closed doors.
There had been speculation the royal meeting might have to be rescheduled to a later date with the return of the sport of horses racing now only due on June 1.
That will mean one of the most glittering events of the racing calendar which includes some of the season’s biggest races will be taking place just over a fortnight after the start of the Turf racing season.
Royal Ascot set to start on June 16 and five-day meeting will take place behind closed doors
But Racemail understands that the preferred plan of action remains to have the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket staged over the first weekend in June and also run the Derby at Epsom on July 4.
Confirmation was expected on Wednesday evening after a meeting of the Resumption of Racing Group.
While Royal Ascot will retain its place in the calendar, its exact format and running order is still being worked out.
The Queen will not be able to make her traditional appearance this year due to coronavirus
The St James’s Palace Stakes for three-year-old colts, some of which will have run in the 2,000 Guineas, would have been run on the opening day of the meeting but is likely to be switched to the end of the week to provide the maximum number of days between those two races.
Conversely, the mile and a half King Edward VII Stakes, a race run normally on the Friday of the royal meeting, could be switched to the start of the fixture as it serves more as a Derby trial.
Officials at Ascot have stressed they will only stage the royal meeting if racing is back operating with the approval of the Government.
There will be no crowds and no owners are expected to be allowed at a meeting stripped of its normal pomp and ceremony.