Ascot

Ascot stages both Flat and jumps fixtures through the year, but it's best known for Royal Ascot in June - the grandest week in the British Flat racing calendar - and for British Champions Day each October, which closes out the Flat season with the country's richest raceday.

The track

Ascot is a right-handed course, roughly triangular, with a notably stiff uphill finish in the closing furlong that has decided many a close race. The straight mile is used for some of the sport's biggest sprints, while the round course tests out-and-out stayers over longer trips.

Royal Ascot

Five days in June, run under strict dress codes and Royal patronage, featuring some of the deepest Group 1 fields anywhere in the world - sprinters, milers, and stayers all get their own championship race across the week, headlined by the Gold Cup on Ladies Day.

Betting angle

That uphill finish means Ascot rewards genuine stamina for the trip - horses that "stay on" rather than fade are worth extra credit. Royal Ascot's deep, competitive fields also mean draw and pace can matter more here than at a smaller meeting, particularly in the big field sprints on the straight course.