Where else in the world can you stand around with 80,000 people singing Hey Jude after the last race? Can you imagine a Derby Day crowd singing Jimmy Barnes after the last?
With the Royal Ascot carnival starting tonight I thought I would share what makes Royal Ascot special, unique and why it is a must for any sporting or horse racing fan.
And, more importantly, what Australian racing administrators can learn from the best racing week in the world.
The annual five-day Royal Ascot racing carnival in the European summer is probably the most English, traditional and unique sporting event you can attend.
Like clockwork at 2.00pm each day the Queen is driven up the home straight from Windsor Castle in the traditional horse and cart with an entourage of royal guards.
This is a rare opportunity in itself to get so close to the Queen, especially if you follow her out into the bird cage.
It is obvious to see how much the Royal Family and the Queen means to the English public. Most of the crowd follow her from the birdcage and watch her as she walks on a private balcony to her Royal Box in the Royal Enclosure.
“Horses away….horses away” is one of many unique ground announcements you hear during the day at Royal Ascot.
Taking the 5/4 odds on the Queen wearing a blue hat, is also very unique. Even the backdrop of the course itself is different with the beautiful English scenery, a massive grandstand setup and Windsor Castle positioned at the top of the straight.
The track is breathtaking and depending where you stand determines what level you are in line with the horses.
The up-and-down track creates a sloppy, tough, agonising finish to every race, especially by the end of the week in the traditional English conditions.
A tough 1200m on a heavy course could be equivalent to a 1400 on a flat, dry Australian surface.
Being at Royal Ascot over the five days at last years carnival was a dream come true and everyday was surreal as the next.
The first race I experienced was Frankel winning by 11 lengths. Not only have I never seen such a more popular or dominant win, the atmosphere after only one race of the Royal Ascot carnival was equal to a Cox plate or Melbourne Cup.
This set the tone for the week with So You Think winning on the Wednesday, and of course Black Caviar winning in the most unforgettable, dramatic circumstances on the Saturday.
While the weekly structure of a Melbourne Cup is great, I do believe Australian racing and marketing administrators can learn from the English when it comes to promoting our carnivals and capturing an actual racing crowd.
While we get great crowds for our cup carnival it is coming more reliant on marketing towards the drinking crowds with DJs, headline bands or Australian Idol rejects.
English crowds are drawn to Royal Ascot for the elegance, tradition, nostalgia and more importantly the racing.
In Australia crowds seem to be lured to the races by cheap drink promotions. The addition of a ‘Schweppes Bar’ at Flemington during last year’s cup carnival was tragic.
Half the bookmakers were relocated or not wanted, only two TAB attendees were available and a DJ was pumping at 10am in the morning.
I can’t imagine what the racing traditionalists thoughts of this ‘initiative’ but as a 31-year-old racing and sporting fan I thought it was a step in the wrong direction.
Don’t get me wrong I love a drink as much as the next person while I am having a punt but don’t make the racing and the gambling supplementary.
Why don’t we actually promote our racing tradition and the stars of the turf?
The way Frankel, Black Caviar, the Royal Ascot carnival and horse racing in general is advertised and marketing in England is second to none.
During the carnival racing was on the front page everyday promoting the stars of the turf.
The day after the Melbourne Cup last year the main story on the news was a YouTube video of a drunken fight from the Melbourne Cup crowd.
When you build a bar you attract drinkers but when you rely on the essence of a sport it tends to promote itself.
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