This week has been fantastic so far. How good is it to be back?
Obviously, the majority of people haven’t been back at Royal Ascot since 2019 and there has certainly been added excitement this year for that reason. With so many internationals who have made the trip, not only the horses and their connections, but racegoers in general and feels like a real melting pot of the racing industry around from all around the world.
This is the aim for Ascot every year and the last few years the international element has basically been non-existent, it is so great to see so many out in force this year.
At Royal Ascot this year, I am employed to look after the international connections of the runners and they range from the Australians through to the Irish and French. Having the international runners is what makes the meeting really special and it’s really great because you get to know the connections of the runners and you see their excitement prior to the race and the nerves, so it’s a really great insight from that point of view.
Hermione FitzGerald | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Racing here is a very different experience to what people are used to in other parts of the world, for example you are so close to the horses in the parade ring here. It can also be a little daunting for owners and connections that have never been before, so I am here to help them out and make sure they have the best experience possible during their time at Ascot.
The King’s Stand on Tuesday, wasn’t perhaps the match race we wanted to see between Golden Pal and Nature Strip, but coming into the meeting that was a possibility and that makes racing great, we all want competition from all over the world. However, despite the match not coming to fruition, Nature Strip’s performance was so amazing it was sort of a job done in terms of promotion from an international point of view. It was also such a poignant win as well, coming 10 years after the great Black Caviar’s triumph in the Diamond Jubilee, which definitely added to the significance.
I was standing with the connections of Nature Strip when he won the race and it was just great to see their pure elation and excitement. The pressure on Chris Waller must have been enormous and I’m certain it meant a huge amount to him, to win that race with that horse.
I was also part of ‘Team State Of Rest’ and that was obviously a fantastic result, not only for Newgate and their partners, but for Australian middle-distance racing as a whole and seeing the Cox Plate form stack up on the international stage was a huge feather in the cap for a country which is better known for its sprinters.
On Thursday, it was marvellous to see prolific South African owner Mary Slack have a winner with Claymore in the Hampton Court. She is one of the biggest supporters of racing in South Africa so it was lovely for them and for trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam, who is having the most wonderful meeting with two winners and a second.
It was also fantastic for huge supporters of Australian racing Yulong to have a winner in the Ribblesdale with Magical Lagoon and that was a brilliant race to watch two fillies fight it out in the finish.
State Of Rest (Ire), winner of the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. | Image courtesy of China Horse Club
Ascot is so unique and partly I think that comes through what you have to wear. I think we all dread it in the run up because the logistics of sourcing your hats and your tails, especially if you’re coming from Australia, but all of it adds to the excitement. Of course, the added presence of the Royal family does that too and it was another brilliant moment for Australia when New South Wales Racing chief Peter V’Landys and his wife Philippa were in the carriage procession on Wednesday.
Obviously, there are rules on what you can and cannot wear, and while it can be daunting, I actually hope they never change it because it adds to the whole occasion. It’s quite unique having a list of rules of what you can and cannot wear and, having failed them once myself, I will never do it again. One year, the people at the gate deemed my dress too short, so I was sent back in disgrace and had to go and sort myself out. It’s the only time in my life I’ve ever been told that I was inappropriately dressed!
But the real beauty to Ascot in that the horses take centre stage. These are the crème de la crème of bloodstock, the best racing in the world and because of that so many people make an effort to go down to the parade ring or the pre-parade ring to get a glimpse of the horses, I think more so than any other meeting in the world. There is a certain beauty to the meeting which you don’t find anywhere else on the planet.
